The  Harlequin 
Opal 


•/ 


./X 


AS 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


ALPHA  LIBRARY. 


The   Harlequin   Opal 

A  Romance 
By 

Fergus  Hume. 


Onoe  a  realm  of  Indian  glories, 
Famed  In  Aztec  songs  ana  stories, 
Where  the  bold  Conquistadores 

Won  in  light  a  splendid  prize; 
Now  a  land  of  love  romances, 
Seren  'des.  bolero  dances. 
Looks  of  scorn  adoring  glances, 

Under  burning  tropic  skies. 


Chicago  and  New  York : 

Rand,  McNally  &  Company, 

Publishers. 


COPYRIGHT,  1893,  BY  RAND,  McNALLY  &  Oo 


The  Harleauln  Opal 


THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

CHUMS. 

Long  years  have  passed  since  last  we  met, 
And  left  their  marks  of  teen  and  fret. 
No  longer  faces  plump  and  smooth 
Proclaim  the  halcyon  days  of  youth; 
But  haggard  looks  and  tresses  white 
Betray  the  ardor  of  the  fight; 
The  same  old  friends,  we  meet  once  more — 
But  not  the  merry  boys  of  yore. 

'  *  It  is  a  great  mistake,"  said  Sir  Philip  Cassim,  looking 
doubtfully  at  the  piece  of  paper  lying  on  his  desk;  "then 
we  were  foolish  boys;  now  we  are,  I  trust,  sensible  men. 
Certainly  it  is  a  great  mistake." 

The  piece  of  paper  was  yellow  with  age,  a  trifle  grimy, 
and  so  worn  with  constant  foldings  that  it  was  wonderful 
the  four  quarters  had  not  long  since  parted  company,  as 
had  the  four  friends,  each  of  whom  carried  a  similar  piece  in 
his  pocket-book.  Often  in  his  wanderings  had  Sir  Philip 
pondered  over  that  untidy  boyish  scribble  setting  forth  the 
foolish  promise  which  he  now  half  regretfully  characterized 
as  "  a  great  mistake." 

"  BEDFORD  GRAMMAR  SCHOOL, 
"  24th  July,  1874. 

"If  we  live  and  are  in  good  health,  we  promise  faith- 
fully to  meet  at  Philip's  house,  in  Portman  Square,  Lon- 
don, on  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  July,  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  eighty-nine,  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
(Signed)   "  PHILIP  WINTHOBP  CASSIM, 

"JOHN   DlJVAL, 

"PETER  PAUL  (TRENCH, 

"TIMOTHY  TEREXCE  PATRICK  FLETCHER." 


1501474 


10  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"That  is  quite  fifteen  years  ago/' said  Cassim,  smooth  - 
iiig  the  frail  paper  with  tender  fingers;  "now  it  is  the 
twenty-fourth  day  of  July  in  the  year  eighty-nine.  Six 
o'clock!  I  wonder  if  any  of  them  will  turn  up.  Jack  is 
an  engineer,  building  railways  and  bridges  in  China. 
Peter,  as  a  respectable  physician,  doses  invalids  in  Devon- 
shire. Special  Correspondent  Tim,  the  stormy  petrel  of 
war,  wires  lies  to  London  newspapers.  I — I  am  a  mere 
idler,  given  to  wandering  among  the  tombs  of  dead  civiliza- 
tions. Peter  may  come;  it  means  only  a  short  railway 
journey  to  him;  but  Jack  and  Tim  are  probably  thousands 
of  miles  away.  Still,  as  I  came  from  the  Guinea  Coast  to 
meet  them,  they  certainly  ought  not  to  miss  the  appoint- 
ment. This  is  the  day,  the  place,  the  hour,  and  I  have 
prepared  the  fatted  calf,  of  which  they  will  partake — if 
they  turn  up.  Pshaw!  I  am  a  fool  to  think  they  will 
come.  They  have  no  doubt  quite  forgotten  this  boyish 
freak.  Perhaps  it  is  best  so.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to 
arrange  a  meeting  fifteen  years  ahead.  Father  Time  is 
too  fond  of  strange  surprises." 

He  arose  from  his  chair  and  paced  slowly  to  and  fro, 
with  folded  arms  and  bent  head,  the  droop  of  this  latter 
being  somewhat  dejected.  The  idea  that  he  was  about  to 
meet  his  old  school-fellows  rendered  him  pensive,  and  a 
trifle  regretful.  Many  years  had  passed  since  those  halcyon 
days  of  youth,  and  oh,  the  difference  between  now  and 
then!  He  could  hardly  avoid  speculating  on  their  certain 
mutation.  Had  the  wand  of  time  changed  those  merry 
lads  into  staid  men?  Would  Jack  still  be  ambitious  as  of 
yore?  Tim's  jokes  were  famous  in  the  old  days;  but  now, 
perchance,  he  found  life  too  serious  for  jesting.  '  Then 
Peter's  butterflies!  How  often  they  had  laughed  at  his 
entomological  craze.  Now,  doubtless,  he  was  more  taken 
up  with  pills  and  patients.  And  himself— he  had  outlived 
his  youthful  enthusiasms,  raore's  the  pity.  No  wonder  he 
felt  pensive  at  the  thought  of  such  changes.  Retrospec- 
tion is  a  saddening  faculty. 

Cassim  grew  weary  of  these  pessimistic  fancies,  and 
pausing  in  front  of  the  fire-place  surveyed  himself  long 
and  critically  in  the  mirror.  It  reflected  a  dark,  handsome 

face — reddened  by  the  saltness  of  wind  and  wave boldly 

cut  features,  and  melancholy  eyes.     Those  eyes  of  Philip's 


CHUMS.  11 

were  somewhat  misleading,  as  they  suggested  a  poetic 
nature,  steeped  in  sentimentalism,  whereas  he  was  a 
remarkably  matter-of-fact  young  man,  inclined  to  scoff  at 
the  romantic  tendencies  of  his  fellow-creatures.  By  no 
means  expansive  or  apt  to  unbosom  himself  to  his  friends, 
his  reticence,  in  conjunction  with  his  romantic  appear- 
ance, entirety  deceived  the  world  as  to  his  true  character. 
His  Byronism  lay  in  looks,  rather  than  in  actions. 

"  Thirty  is  by  no  means  old/'  mused  Sir  Philip,  absently 
stroking  his  mustache;  "if  anything,  it  errs  on  the  side 
of  youth;  yet  I  look  close  on  a  hundred.  Dark  people 
never  do  wear  well.  Tim  is  five  years  older  than  I,  Peter 
past  thirty-three,  but  it's  probable  they  look  younger  than 
I  do.  As  to  Jack — well,  Jack  is  an  infant  of  twenty-eight 
summers,  and  I  suspect  has  altered  but  little.  They  would 
hardly  recognize  me.  Possibly  I  shall  have  considerable 
difficulty  in  recognizing  them." 

He  resumed  his  walk  and  his  soliloquy,  reverting  therein 
to  his  first  idea. 

"This  meeting  is  a  mistake.  Beyond  the  fact  that  we 
were  at  school  together,  we  have  nothing  in  common  about 
which  to  converse.  Different  lives,  different  ideas.  We 
will  simply  bore  one  another.  Perhaps  they  are  married. 
Peter  was  just  the  kind  of  boy  who  would  grow  into  a 
domesticated  man.  Jack  was  romantic,  and  has  probably 
been  captured  by  a  pretty  face.  Tim!  I'm  not  so  sure 
about  Tim.  I  fancy  he  is  still  a  bachelor  like  myself! " 

It  was  his  own  fault  that  such  was  the  case,  as  many  a 
maiden  would  have  gladly  married  Sir  Philip  and  his 
Kentish  acres.  The  baronet,  however,  with  but  little  pre- 
disposition to  matrimony,  fought  shy  of  the  marriage  ring, 
and  preferred  his  yacht  to  all  the  beauties  in  Christendom. 
On  rare  occasions  he  showed  himself  in  Belgravia  draw- 
ing-rooms, but  in  the  main  loved  the  masculine  seclusion 
of  his  club  and  the  lurching  deck  of  The  Bohemian.  It 
may  be  that  some  of  his  remote  ancestors  had  intermarried 
with  the  Eomany,  and  thus  introduced  a  strain  of  wander- 
ing blood  into  the  family;  but  certain  it  was  that  Sir  Philip 
Cassim,  in  place  of  being  a  steady-going  country  squire, 
was  an  irreclaimable  Arab  in  the  matter  of  vagrancy. 
Cases  of  atavism  occur  in  the  most  respectable  families. 

His  nomadic  instincts  lured  him  into  the  dark  places  of 


12  THE  HAKLEQUIST  OPAL. 

the  earth,  and  as  a  rule  he  preferred  these  to  the  more 
civilized  portions.  Humanity  in  the  rough  is  more 
interesting  than  humanity  veneered  with  civilization,  and 
in  seeking  such  primevalism  Sir  Philip  explored  many  of 
those  barbaric  lands  which  gird  our  comfortable  civiliza- 
tion. Peru  he  knew  better  than  Piccadilly;  St.  James 
Street  was  unknown  territory  to  him  compared  with  his 
knowledge  of  Japan,  and  if  his  yacht  was  not  skirting  the 
treacherous  New  Zealand  coast,  she  was  certainly  battling 
with  the  giant  billows  off  the  Horn. 

Hating  conventionalism,  and  the  leges  non  scripts  of 
London  society,  this  vagabond  by  predilection  rarely  dwelt 
in  the  Portman  Square  family  mansion.  When  he  did 
pay  a  visit  to  town,  he  usually  camped  out — so  to  speak- 
in  a  club  bedroom,  and  before  his  friends  knew  of  his 
whereabouts  would  flit  away  without  warning,  and  be  next 
heard  of  at  Pernambuco,  or  somewhere  about^  Madagascar. 
On  this  special  occasion,  however,  he  occupied  his  town 
house  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  appointment  made 
with  his  three  friends  fifteen  years  before  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ouse. 

On  this  account,  and  to  avoid  the  trouble  of  hiring  serv- 
ants for  the  few  days  of  his  stay,  he  brought  up  his 
stewards  from  the  yacht.  These,  accustomed  to  such 
emergencies,  owing  to  Sir  Philip's  whimsical  mode  of  life, 
speedily  rendered  a  few  rooms  habitable,  and  prepared  the 
dinner  which  was  to  celebrate  the  reunion  of  the  quar- 
tette. It  seemed  strange  that  Cassim  should  take  all  this 
trouble  to  fulfill  a  boyish  promise,  but  as  he  was  a  man 
who  did  not  make  friends  easily,  and  moreover  was  begin- 
ning to  weary  of  solitary  wanderings,  he  greatly  inclined 
to  a  renewal  of  these  youthful  friendships.  Besides,  he 
cherished  a  kindly  memory  of  his  old  school-fellows,  and 
looked  forward  with  genuine  pleasure  to  meeting  them 
again.  Yet,  as  his  latter  reason  savored  of  sentimentalism, 
he  would  not  admit  of  its  existence  even  to  himself;  it 
clashed  with  his  convictions  that  life  was  not  worth  living. 

Despite  the  fact  that  he  was  a  cosmopolitan,  Philip's 
nature,  impressionable  in  the  extreme,  was  deeply  tinged 
with  the  prevailing  pessimism  of  the  day.  He  professed 
that  facile  disbelief  in  everything  and  in  every  one  which 
is  so  easy  to  acquire,  so  difficult  to  relinquish.  Human 


CHUMS.  13 

nature  he  mistrusted,  friendship  he  scoffed  at,  and  was 
always  on  his  guard  against  those  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact.  Thus  living  entirely  within  and  for  himself,  the 
real  geniality  of  his  disposition  became  incrusted  with  the 
barnacles  of  a  selfish  philosophy.  This  noli  me  tangere 
creed  isolated  him  from  his  fellow-creatures,  .Avith  the 
result  that  while  he  possessed  many  acquaintances  he  had 
no  real  friends.  Thus  he  created  his  own  misery,  he 
inflicted  his  own  punishment. 

Adopting  as  his  motto  the  saying  of  the  Oxford  fine 
gentleman,  "Nothing's  new,  nothing's  true,  and  no 
matter,"  Cassim  schooled  himself  to  suppress  all  outward 
signs  of  feeling,  and  passed  through  life  with  a  pretended 
indifference  to  the  things  of  this  world.  Pretended! 
because  he  really  felt  deeply  and  suffered  acutely,  though 
pride  forbade  his  showing  aught  of  such  mental  disturb- 
ances to  those  around  him.  Perhaps  in  seeing  so  much 
of  the  world  he  had  early  exhausted  all  emotion;  but  he 
certainly  surveyed  everything  from  Dan  to  Beersheba  with 
calm  indifference.  The  real  man  was  a  genial,  kind- 
hearted  creature;  the  false,  a  frigidly  cold  person  who 
accepted  all  things  with  ostentatious  stoicism. 

He  was  by  no  means  popular  with  men,  as  they  greatly 
resented  his  reserve  and  haughty  demeanor;  but  women 
professed  to  find  him  charming.  Probably  they,  with  the 
subtle  instinct  of  their  sex,  saw  below  the  mask  of  feigned 
cynicism,  and  judged  him  by  what  he  was,  not  by  what  he 
appeared  to  be.  Certainly  he  never  laid  himself  out  to 
gain  their  good  opinion.  He  rarely  troubled  to  make 
himself  agreeable;  he  was  not  a  marrying  man  (than 
which  there  can  be  no  worse  crime  in  a  woman's  eyes), 
and  led  a  solitary,  vagrant  existence;  yet,  in  spite  of  such 
social  disqualifications,  women  were  his  best  friends,  and 
defended  him  loyally  from  the  clumsy  sneers  of  his  own 
sex.  Assuredly  he  should  have  married,  ff  only  out  of 
gratitude  for  such  championship;  but  he  preferred  a  single 
life,  and  in  the  main  eschewed  female  society. 

Withal,  he  was  not  inclined  to  undervalue  either  his 
personal  appearance  or  his  mental  capacity.  No  mean 
classical  scholar,  he  seldom  passed  a  day  without  dipping 
into  the  charming  pages  of  Horace  or  Catullus.  Of  the 
two  he  preferred  the  V  eronese,  who  with  Heine  and  Poe 


14  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

formed  his  favorite  trio  of  poets,  from  which  names  it  can 
be  seen  that  Sir  Philip  had  a  taste  for  the  fantastic  in 
literature.  He  was  conversant  with  three  or  four  modern 
languages,  and  was  especially  familiar  with  the  _  noble 
tongue  of  Castille.  A  man  who  can  read  " Don  Quixote" 
in  the  original  is  somewhat  of  a  rarity  in  England.  Those 
of  Philips  acquaintances  who  could  induce  him  to  talk 
literature  and  art  formed  an  excellent  opinion  of  his 
abilities.  Moreover,  he  was  unique  in  one  respect.  He 
had  circumnavigated  the  globe,  yet  had  refrained  from 
writing  a  book  of  travel. 

As  to  his  personal  appearance,  it  was  as  smart  and 
spruce  as  that  of  his  yacht.  Only  those  who  know  how  a 
crack  yacht  is  cherished  by  her  owner  can  thoroughly 
understand  this  comparison.  In  spite  of  his  solitary  exist- 
ence, Philip  was  always  careful  of  the  outward  man,  and 
this  attention  to  his  toilet  was  a  notable  trait  of  his  charac- 
ter. Yet  he  was  by  no  means  effeminate,  foppish,  or 
finical.  To  sum  up,  he  was  a  well-dressed,  Avell-bred,  cult- 
ured Englishman,  who  had  all  the  qualities — mental, 
personal,  and  physical — fitting  him  to  shine  with  no  mean 
luster  in  society,  yet  he  preferred  to  live  the  life  of  a  nau- 
tical hermit,  if  such  a  thing  be  possible. 

"Walking  constantly  to  and  fro,  he  glanced  every  now 
and  then  at  the  clock,  the  large  hand  of  which  was  close  on 
seven.  Given  that  all  three  guests  were  within  a  measur- 
able distance  of  the  rendezvous,  he  began  to  calculate, 
from  what  he  knew  of  their  idiosyncrasies,  which  one 
of  them  would  be  the  first  to  arrive. 

"  I  am  certain  it  will  be  Peter,"  decided  Cassim,  after 
due  reflection;  "  neat,  orderly,  punctual  Peter,  who  never 
missed  a  lesson  and  never  came  late  to  class.  Tim  is 
careless!  Jack  is  whimsical!  If  any  one  arrives,  it  will  be 
Dr.  Peter  Paul  Grench.  And,"  he  added,  as  the  bell 
rang,  "here  he  is." 

His  prognostication  proved  to  be  correct,  for  in  a  few  min- 
utes the  door  of  the  study  opened  to  admit  a  precise  little 
gentleman,  in  whom  Philip  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing 
his  quondam  school-fellow.  It  was  a  trifle  larger  Peter — 
it  was  Peter  in  evening  dress,  twirling  a  pince-nez — Peter 
with  mutton-chop  whiskers  and  a  bald  head;  but  it  Avas 
undeniably  Peter  Paul  Grench  of  Bedford  Grammar  School. 


CHUMS.  15 

"'The  child/''  quoth  Philip,  advancing  to  meet  his 
guest,  "'is  father  of  the  man.'  It  is  just  on  seven,  and 
you,  Peter,  keep  your  fifteen-year-old  appointment  to  the 
minute.  I  am  delighted  to  see  you." 

"  I  am  sure  the  feeling  is  reciprocal,"  responded  Doctor 
Grench,  primly,  as  he  grasped  the  baronet's  hand;  "it  is 
indeed  a  pleasure  to  meet  an  old  school-fellow  after  these 
many  years." 

Peter  spoke  in  a  Johnsonian  manner,  but  his  words  were 
genuine  enough,  and  under  the  influence  of  this  natural 
emotion,  for  the  moment  he  forgot  his  primness.  After 
a  time,  however,  habit  asserted  its  influence  over  nature, 
and  Grench  resumed  his  buckram  civilities,  while  Philip, 
also  recovering  himself,  relapsed  into  his  usual  nonchalant 
manners. 

"  So  you  kept  this  appointment,  after  all,"  said  Cassim, 
as  they  settled  themselves  for  a  confidential  conversation; 
"  I  thought  it  possible  you  might  have  forgotten  about  it." 

"By  no  means,"  answered  Grench,  producing  a  piece  of 
paper  similar  to  that  of  Philip's.  "  I  have  often  looked 
at  this,  and  always  intended,  unless  prevented  by  disease 
or  death,  to  meet  my  old  school-fellows  as  agreed.  Here 
we  are,  my  dear  friend;  but  Tim  and  Jack?" 

"  May  be  at  the  other  end  of  the  world  for  all  I  know," 
responded  the  baronet,  carelessly.  "Special  correspond- 
ents and  engineers  are  the  Wandering  Jews  of  to-day. 
Still,  as  I  came  from  the  Guinea  Coast  for  this  appoint- 
ment, they  will  surely  not  grudge  a  lengthy  journey  for  a 
similar  purpose." 

"  Tim  is  in  London,"  said  Peter,  unexpectedly. 

"Ah!"  remarked  Philip,  manifesting  but  little  surprise, 
"you  have  seen  him,  then?" 

"No!  Since  we  parted  at  Bedford  I  have  seen  none  of 
you;  but  I  have  heard  of  all  three." 

"  Nothing  good  of  me,  I  am  afraid/'  said  Cassim,  with 
that  amiable  belief  in  his  fellow- creatures  which  made 
them  love  him  so. 

"  Nothing  bad,  at  all  events,"  answered  Peter,  serenely. 
"You  are  constantly  traveling;  you  are  still  a  bachelor; 
you  open  your  heart  to  no  one,  and  judge  the  world  as 
though  you  were  not  its  denizen." 

"  Which  last  remark  is  stolen  from  La  Eochefoucauld. 


16  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

Yes!  Your  description  is  accurate,  if  not  original.  How- 
ever, let  us  not  talk  of  Philip  Cassim.  I  am  terribly  tired 
of  him.  What  about  Jack  and  Tim?  " 

"  Of  Jack  I  know  nothing,  save  that  he  was  last  heard  of 
in  India.  Tim,  however,  wrote  to  me  the  other  day  saying 
he  intended  to  keep  this  appointment.  Concerning  his  life, 
he  volunteered  no  information." 

"  So  like  Tim!  His  private  correspondence  was  always 
unsatisfactory.  I  like  his  newspaper  letters,  however;  the 
descriptions  are  so  bright  and  vivid;  plenty  of  gunpowder 
and  adventure.  Certainly  Tim  makes  an  excellent  war 
correspondent.  I  wonder  if  he  still  has  that  strong 
brogue." 

"Surely  not.  When  he  came  to  Bedford,  he  was  fresh 
from  Ireland;  but  now  that  he  has  been  traveling  so  much, 
he  must  have  lost  his  pronounced  Irishisms." 

"I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  said  Philip,  with  a  smile. 
"  Tim  is  Irish  of  the  Irish.  I  believe  he  loves  his  brogue. 
You  can't  educate  the  race  nature  out  of  a  man.  Believe 
me,  my  dear  Peter,  Tim  will  be  as  noisy  and  as  warm- 
hearted as  of  yore.  I  am  very  fond  of  Tim." 

"  Yet  I  should  think  Tim,  such  as  you  describe  him, 
would  be  the  last  person  to  suit  a  fastidious  individual  such 
as  yourself." 

"  Come  now,  Peter,  I  am  not  quite  so  hypercritical  as  all 
that.  Besides,  Tim,  with  all  his  noise  and  brogue,  is  a 
thorough  gentleman.  It  is  your  veneered  person  I  object 
to.  However,  Tim  may  have  changed.  Meanwhile  what 
about  yourself?" 

"  Like  Canning's  knife-grinder,  I  have  no  story  to  tell. 
When  I  left  Bedford  I  went  to  Cambridge;  afterward 
came  to  London.  Passed  my  examinations,  walked  the 
hospitals,  took  my  degree,  and  hearing  that  a  doctor  was 
wanted  down  at  Barnstaple,  I  went  there.  For  some 
years  I  practiced  with  more  or  less  success.  Then  I 
retired  to  give — " 

"Retired!"  interrupted  Philip,  in  surprise.  "Have 
you  made  your  fortune?" 

"  By  no  means.  Country  doctors  never  make  fortunes. 
No !  I  inherit  five  hundred  a  year  from  my  father,  and 
as  there  is  no  necessity  for  me  to  physic  people  for  a  liveli- 
hood, I  devote  myself—" 


OHTJM8.  17 

"To  sticking  pins  through  unoffending  butterflies!" 

"  Now,  how  did  you  guess  that?  "  asked  the  little  doctor, 
in  mild  surprise. 

"Easily  enough.  You  had  a  butterfly  and  beetle  mania 
at  school.  If  I  remember  rightly,  we  rolled  you  in  nettles 
to  cure  you  of  entomology.  Boys  don't  relish  scientific 
urchins.  So  you  are  still  at  it.  But  five  hundred  a  year 
and  beetles.  Peter,  you  are  not  ambitious." 

"No,"  assented  Grrench,  simply;  "I  am  not  at  all  ambi- 
tious. My  entomology  gives  me  great  pleasure,  or  why 
should  I  not  enjoy  myself  in  my  own  way?  Ah,  Philip, 
you  do  not  know  what  true  enjoyment  is." 

"Certainly  not,  if  it's  butterflies." 

"  To  see  one  of  the  Callidryas  species  for  the  first  time 
is  indeed  a  pleasure,"  said  Peter,  beaming  with  scientific 
rapture.  "  Then  the  Papilios,  the  Hesperida,  and  the 
red  Timitis — " 

"Oh,  oh!"  yawned  Philip,  stretching  himself,  "how 
dry  it  sounds." 

"Dry!"'  echoed  Peter,  indignantly;  "the  most  fascinat- 
ing pursuit  in  the  world." 

Philip  looked  kindly  at  the  little  man  who  appeared  to 
be  so  satisfied  with  his  simple  pleasures. 

"  Decidedly,  Peter,  you  are  a  happy  medico.  Come 
with  me  on  a  cruise,  and  I  will  introduce  you  to  the 
paradise  of  butterflies.  Tropical  America,  Peter,  where 
the  insects  are  like  flying  flowers.  Green  butterflies, 
purple  beetles,  gilded  moths — " 

"Oh!"  cried  Peter,  opening  his  eyes  with  delight,  "I 
should  like  to  go  to  South  America.  There  is  a  peculiar 
species  there,  the  Heliconidce.  Why,  Philip,  if  only— 

"Hark!  there's  the  bell,"  exclaimed  Cassim,  rising 
with  alacrity,  rather  thankful  to  escape  Peter's  lecture. 
"Is  it  Jack  or  Tim?" 

"  Tim,"  said  Peter,  promptly;  "  no  one  else  would  ring 
so  violently." 

"Where  did  ye  say  they  were?"  cried  a  hearty  Irish 
voice,  half-way  up  the  stairs. 

"That  settles  it,"  remarked  Philip,  comically,  as  he 
opened  the  door;  "no  two  persons  can  possess  such  a 
strong  brogue." 

And  Tim  it  was.  Tim,  large  and  burly,  roaring  like  a 
a 


18  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

bull  of  Bashan,  who  hurled  himself  into  the  room  and 
flung  himself  on  Philip's  neck. 

"My  dear  friend!  my  dear  boy!"  he  thundered,  squeez- 
ing Cassim  in  his  athletic  embrace,  "  it's  glad  I  am  to  see 
you." 

"  Gently,  Tim,  gently,"  gasped  Philip,  helpless  in  the 
hug  of  this  bear;  "  don't  crush  me  to  a  jelly." 

"And  Peter!"  exclaimed  Tim,  releasing  the  baronet  to 
pounce  on  the  doctor,  "  yon  fat  little  man,  how  splendid 
you  look."  ••* 

Warned  by  the  fate  of  Philip,  the  doctor  skillfully  evaded 
the  embrace  of  the  giant,  and  Tim  was  only  able  to 
demonstrate  his  affection  by  a  hand-grip.  He  threw  all 
his  soul  into  this  latter,  and  Peter's  face  wrinkled  up  like 
a  monkey's  with  pain.  It  was  like  a  fly  struggling  with 
an  elephant,  and  Philip,  thoroughly  roused  from  his 
ordinary  placidity,  laughed  till  the  tears  ran  down  his 
cheeks. 

"  As  soon  as  you've  quite  done  murdering  us,  Tim,"  he 
said,  placing  a  chair  between  himself  and  his  too  demon- 
strative friend,  "  perhaps  you'll  give  your  hat  and  coat  to 
the  servant." 

Tim,  who  had  rushed  upstairs  without  pause,  meekly 
delivered  the  articles  in  question  to  the  servant,  who  stood 
grinning  at  the  door.  Looking  on  this  respectful  grin  as 
a  liberty,  Philip  frowned  at  the  poor  man,  who  thereupon 
vanished,  while  Tim,  overcome  by  his  late  exertions,  fell 
so  heavily  into  a  chair  that  the  room  rocked. 

"Phew!"  he  said,  wiping  his  heated  brow,  "it's  hot  I 
am,  anyhow." 

"  That's  scarcely  to  be  wondered  at,"  returned  Cassim, 
dryly,  "considering  the  enthusiasm  of  your  greeting." 

"And  why  not?"  retorted  Tim,  with  the  broadest  of 
brogues;  "  am  I  not  glad  to  see  you  both?  " 

"Of  course,  and  we  are  glad  to  see  you,"  said  Peter, 
examining  his  crushed  hand;  "but  you  needn't  maim  us 
for  life." 

Tim  roared  with  laughter  in  the  most  unfeeling  manner, 
and  Cassim,  with  a  smile,  placed  his  hand  on  the  giant's 
shoulder. 

"The  same  noisy  Tim  as  of  old,"  he  said,  kindly;  "you 
were  a  large  boy,  Tim,  and  now  you  are  a  large  man.  I 


CHUMS.  19 

wouldn't  have  recognized  you,  though,  save  for  the  brogue. 
It's  as  strong  as  ever." 

"  That's  true,  anyhow,"  acknowledged  Fletcher,  placing 
his  huge  paw  on  Philip's  slender  hand  as  it  rested  on  his 
shoulder.  "  Wasn't  I  but  one  term  at  the  school,  and  that 
didn't  turn  it  into  cockney  speaking.  Besides,  I've  been 
to  Cork  since." 

"  To  freshen  up  the  accent,  I  suppose,"  said  Grench, 
with  the  air  of  a  man  who  has  made  a  cutting  remark; 
"  but  a  special  correspondent  should  know  more  than  one 
language." 

"Especially  if  the  language  is  Irish," finished  Cassim, 
mischievously. 

"  Get  along  with  you,"  replied  Tim,  with  a  twinkle  in 
his  eye;  "why,  it's  a  polyglot  I  am — French,  Italian, 
Spanish,  and  a  touch  of  Arabic.  I  can  tell  lies  in  any  one 
of  them.  So  here  you  are,  lads.  Where's  Jack?" 

"Lord  knows!" 

"He  was  in  South  America  when  I  heard  last;  but  III 
go  bail  he'll  turn  up  soon.  What  is  the  time?" 

"Half -past  seven,"  rejoined  Peter,  consulting  an  emi- 
nently respectable  watch  of  the  family  physician  species. 

Tim  took  out  his  piece  of  paper  from  a  pocket-book  com- 
mensurate to  his  size,  and  smoothed  it  carefully  with  his 
huge  hand. 

"  Seven's  the  hour,  and  Jack's  late.  I  never  knew  him 
early  yet." 

' '  Well,  you  were  not  renowned  for  punctuality  at  school, 
Tim!" 

"  True  for  you,  Philip,  and  many's  the  hearing  I've  had 
for  that  same.  But  this  is  a  special  occasion,  and  Jack 
should  be  punctual.  Confound  him!" 

"  Oh,  he'll  be  here  shortly,"  said  Cassim,  shrugging  his 
shoulders.  "  We  have  plenty  to  talk  about  until  he  arrives. 
How  arc  you,  Tim?  But  I  needn't  ask,  you  look  like  the 
giant  Goribuster." 

"  Six  foot  five  in  my  stockings,"  replied  Tim,  com- 
placently; "and  a  good  thing  it  is  for  me,  that  same. 
Special  corresponding  isn't  knocking  about  the  world  in  a 
gentleman's  yacht,  sir." 

"  Or  collecting  butterflies,"  added  Philip,  with  a  sly 
smile  at  Peter. 


20  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"Are  you  at  that  rubbish,  still,  Peter?  " 

"  Of  course  I  am,"  answered  Peter,  in  mild  surprise; 
"  in  fact,  since  my  father  left  me  five  hundred  a  year,  I've 
devoted  myself  entirely  to  entomology." 

"  And  to  eating! "  said  Tim,  with  a  grin.  "  Why,  Peter, 
you've  a  paunch  like  a  priest." 

"Oh,  really!"  began  Peter,  scandalized;  but  his  further 
protestations'  were  drowned  in  the  laughtei  of  Philip,  on 
hearing  which  Tim  nodded  approvingly. 

"  Come  now,  my  dear  friend,  that's  better.  You  arr 
more  like  a  Christian  than  when  I  last  saw  you." 

"At  Bedford?  "  inquired  Philip,  still  smiling. 

"No!  In  London — no  less.  Didn't  I  see  you  at  the 
theater  six  months  ago,  looking  for  all  the  world  as  if  you 
were  attending  your  own  funeral  ?  " 

"  Why  didn't  you  speak  to  me?  " 

"  You  looked  so  supercilious  and  stand-off- the-grass  like 
that  I  couldn't  bring  myself  to  it  at  all." 

"  You  idiot!"  said  Philip,  coloring  with  vexation;  "you 
know  I  am  always  glad  to  see  you." 

"Is  that  a  Chinese  invitation,  Philip?" 

"No,  I  assure  you,  Tim.  Don't  think  me  such  a  prig. 
Why,  I  came  all  the  way  from  the  Guinea  Coast  just  to  meet 
you." 


at  school." 

"  If  I  remember  rightly,  it  was  you  who  had  the  worst  of 
that  little  encounter,"  retorted  Philip,  gripping  Tim's  hand 
strongly. 

"It  was  a  draw,"  said  Peter,  suddenly;  "I  remember 
the  fight  quite  well.  But  we  can  talk  of  these  things  again. 
I  want  to  know  what  Tim  is  doing." 

"  And  this  is  fame,"  grunted  Tim,  nodding  his  head. 
"Haven't  you  seen  my  letters  about  the  Soudan  War  to 
T'ii  Morning  Planet,  and  my  account  of  the  Transvaal  ruc- 
tions? Am  I  not  a  special  correspondent,  you  ignorant 
little  person?" 

"Oh  yes,  yes;  I  know  all  that,"  replied  Peter,  impa- 
tiently; "but  tell  us  about  your  life." 

"Isn't  that  my  life,  sir?    When  I  left  school  I  went  to 


CHTTMS.  2] 

Ireland  and  became  a  reporter.  Then  I  was  taken  up  by  a 
paper  in  London  and  went  to  the  Soudan,  afterward  to 
Burmah,  where  I  was  nearly  drowned  in  the  Irrawaddy. 
They  know  me  in  Algiers  and  Morocco.  Now  I've  just 
returned  from  Burmah,  where  I  parted  with  my  dear 
friend  Pho  Sa.  He's  in  glory  now — rest  his  soul !  They 
hanged  him  for  being  a  Dacoit,  poor  devil!  " 

"You  seem  to  have  been  all  over  the  world,  Tim/'  said 
Philip,  when  the  Irishman  stopped  for  breath.  "  It's  queer 
5  never  knocked  up  against  you." 

' '  Why,  you  never  stayed  one  day  in  one  place.  That 
boat  of  yours  is  a  kind  of  Flying  Dutchman:." 

"Not  a  bit  of  it;  she  has  doubled  the  Cape  lots  of 
times.  I  was  just  trying  to  persuade  Peter  to  take  a  cruise 
with  me." 

"  I  am  seriously  thinking  of  the  advisability  of  doing 
so,"  observed  Peter,  judiciously  selecting  his  words. 

"Are  you,  indeed,  Mr.  Lindley  Murray?  Well,  if 
Philip  asks  me,  I'll  come  too." 

"Will  you  really,  Tim?"  asked  Philip,  eagerly. 

"  Of  course  I  will.  There's  no  war  on  at  present,  and 
I'm  not  busy.  If  those  squabbling  South  American 
republics  don't  come  to  blows  again,  I'll  be  free  for  six 
months,  more  or  less." 

"  Then  come  with  me,  by  all  means." 

"  I  tell  you  what,"  observed  Peter,  who  had  been  think- 
ing; "  Jack,  if  he  turns  up  at  all,  will  have  traveled  home 
from  South  America.  Let  us  take  him  back  in  Philip's 
yacht." 

"That's  not  a  bad  idea  anyhow,"  said  Tim,  patting 
Peter's  head,  a  familiarity  much  resented  by  the  family 
physician.  "  You've  got  brains  under  this  bald  spot." 

"  I  am  quite  agreeable,  provided  Jack  turns  up,"  said 
Sir  Philip,  yawning;  (<  but  it  is  now  eight  o'clock,  and  I'm 
hungry.  It's  no  use  waiting  any  longer  for  Jack,  so  I  vote 
we  have  dinner." 

"  He'll  arrive  in  the  middle  of  it,"  said  Grench,  as  Cas- 
sim  touched  the  bell.  "  Jack  was  never  in  time,  or  Tim 
either." 

"Don't  be  taking  away  my  character,  you  mosquito," 
cried  Tim,  playfully,  "or  I'll  put  you  on  the  top  of  the 
bookcase  there.  It's  a  mighty  little  chap  you  are,  Peter!  " 

a 


22  THE  HAELEQUIN   OPAL. 

"Well,  we  can't  all  be  giants! "  retorted  Peter,  resent- 
fully. "  I'm  tall  enough  for  what  I  want  to  do." 

""Collecting  butterflies!  You  don't  know  the  value  of 
time,  sir.  Come  along  with  me  to  the  dining-room." 
And  in  spite  of  Peter's  struggles  he  picked  him  up  like  a 
baby,  and  carried  him  as  far  as  the  study  door.  Indeed, 
he  would  have  carried  him  into  the  dining-room  had  not 
the  presence  of  the  servant  restrained  him.  Tim  had  no 
idea  of  the  dignity  of  the  medical  profession. 

The  servant  intimated  that  dinner  was  ready,  so  the 
three  friends  sat  down  to  the  meal,  rather  regretting  that 
Jack  was  not  present  to  complete  the  quartette.  Just  as 
they  finished  their  soup,  the  servant  announced.* 

"Mr.  Duval!" 

Simultaneously  the  three  sprang  up  from  the  table,  and 
on  looking  toward  the  door  beheld  a  tall  young  fellow, 
arrayed  in  tweeds,  standing  on  the  threshold. 

"Jack!  "they  cried,  rushing  toward  him  with  unbounded 
delight.  "JackDuval!" 

"  My  dear  boys,"  said  Jack,  his  voice  shaking  with  emo- 
tion; "my  dear  old  friends." 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   DEVIL   STONE. 

Spirits  dwelling  in  the  zone 
Of  the  changeful  devil  stone, 
Pray  ye  say  what  destiny 
Is  prepared  by  Fate  for  me. 
Doth  the  doubtful  future  hold 
Poverty  or  mickle  gold, 
Fortune's  smile  or  Fortune's  frown, 
Beggar's  staff  or  monarch's  crown? 
Shall  I  wed  or  live  alone, 
Spirits  of  the  devil  stone? 

See  the  colors  come  and  go, 
Thus  foreboding  joy  and  woe; 
Burns  the  red,  the  blue  is  seen, 
Yellow  glows  and  flames  the  green; 
Like  a  rainbow  in  the  sky, 
Mingle  tints  capriciously, 
Till  the  writhing  of  the  hues 
Sense  and  brain  and  eye  confuse. 
Prophet  priest  can  read  alone 
Omens  of  the  devil  stone. 

Having  finished  dinner,  they  repaired  to  the  library,  and 
there  made  themselves  comfortable  with  coffee  and  tobacco. 
Emption  at  meeting  one  another  after  the  lapse  of  so  many 
years  had  by  no  means  deprived  them  of  their  appetites,, 
and  they  all  did  full  justice  to  the  excellent  fare  provided 
by  Philip's  cook.  So  busy  were  they  in  this  respect  that 
during  the  meal  conversation  waxed  somewhat  desultory, 
and  it  was  not  until  comfortably  seated  in  the  library  that 
they  found  time  for  a  thoroughly  exhaustive  confabulation. 

For  this  purpose  the  quartette  drew  their  chairs  close 
together,  and  proceeded  to  incense  the  goddess  Nicotina, 
of  whom  they  were  all  devotees  save  Peter.  He  said  that 
tobacco  was  bad  for  the  nerves,  especially  when  in  the 
guise  of  cigarettes,  which  last  shaft  \vus  aimed  at  Philip, 
who  particularly  affected  those  evil  little  dainties  abhorred 
by  Doctor  Grench.  Jack  and  Tim,  to  mark  their  coo 

(23) 


24  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

tempt  for  Peter's  counterblast,  produced  well-colored 
meerschaum  pipes,  which  had  circumnavigated  the  globe 
in  their  pockets.  Whereat  Peter,  despairing  of  making 
proselytes,  held  his  tongue  and  busied  himself  with  his 
coffee— very  weak  coffee,  with  plenty  of  milk  and  no 
sugar. 

"What  an  old  woman  you  have  become,  Peter,"  said 
Cassim,  watching  all  this  caution  with  languid  interest. 
"  You  have  positively  no  redeeming  vices.  But  you  won't 
live  any  the  longer  for  such  self-denial.  Tim,  there,  with 
his  strong  coffee  and  stronger  tobacco,  will  live  to  bury 
you." 

"Tim  suffers  from  liver!"  observed  Peter,  serenely, 
making  a  side  attack. 

"  What! "roared Tim,  indignantly,  " is  it  me  you  mean? 
Why,  I  never  had  a  touch  of  liver  in  my  life." 

"You'll  have  it  shortly,  then,"  retorted  Peter,  with  a 
pitying  smile.  "I'm  a  doctor,  you  know,  Peter,  and  lean 
see  at  a  glance  that  you  are  a  mass  of  disease." 

All  this  time  Jack  had  spoken  very  little.  He  alone  of 
the  party  was  not  seated,  but  leaned  against  the  mantel- 
piece, pipe  in  mouth,  with  a  far-away  look  in  his  eyes. 
While  Tim  and  Peter  wrangled  over  the  ailments  of  the 
former,  Philip,  lying  luxuriously  in  his  chair,  surveyed  his 
old  school-fellow  thoughtfully  through  a  veil  of  smoke. 
He  saw  a  greater  change  in  Jack  than  in  the  other  two. 

In  truth,  Duval  was  well  worth  looking  at,  for,  without 
being  the  ideal  Greek  god  of  romance,  he  was  undeniably 
a  handsome  young  man.  Tim  had  the  advantage  of  him 
in  height  and  size,  but  Jack's  lean  frame  and  iron  muscles 
would  carry  him  successfully  through  greater  hardships 
than  could  the  Irishman's  uncultivated  strength.  Jack 
could  last  for  days  in  the  saddle;  he  could  sustain  existence 
on  the  smallest  quantity  of  food  compatible  with  actual 
life;  he  could  endure  all  disagreeables  incidental  to  a 
pionoer  existence  with  philosophical  resignation,  and 
altogether  presented  an  excellent  type  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race  in  its  colonizing  capacity.  Certainly  the  special  cor- 
respondent had,  in  the  interests  of  his  profession,  under- 
gone considerable  hardships  with  fair  success;  but  Tim 
was  too  fond  of  pampering  his  body  when  among  the  flesh- 
pots  of  Egypt,  whereas  Jack,  constantly  in  the  van  of 


THE   DEVIL   STONE.  25 

civilization,  subjugating  wildernesses,  had  no  time  to 
relapse  into  luxurious  living.  The  spirit  was  willing 
enough,  but  the  flesh  had  no  chance  of  indulging. 

His  face,  bronzed  by  tropic  suns,  his  curly  yellow  locks, 
his  jauntily  curled  mustache,  and  a  certain  reckless  gleam 
in  his  blue  eyes  made  him  look  like  one  of  those  dare- 
devil Elizabethan  seamen  who  thrashed  the  Dons  on  the 
Spanish  Main.  Man  of  action  as  he  was,  fertile  in  expe- 
dients, and  constantly  on  the  alert  for  possible  dangers, 
•Jack  Duval  was  eminently  fitted  for  the  profession  which 
he  had  chosen,  and  could  only  endure  existence  in  the 
desert  places  of  the  world.  This  huge  London,  with  its 
.somber  skies,  its  hurrying  crowds,  its  etiquette  of  civiliza- 
tion, was  by  no  means  to  his  taste;  and  already  he  was  look- 
ing forward  with  relief  to  the  time  when  he  would  once 
more  be  on  his  way  to  the  vivid,  careless,  dangerous  life  of 
the  frontier. 

Philip  admired  his  friend's  masculine  thoroughness,  and 
could  not  help  comparing  himself  disadvantageous!}'  with 
the  young  engineer.  Yet  Cassim  Avas  no  weakling  of  the 
boudoir;  he  also  had  sailed  stormy  seas,  had  dared  the 
unknown  where  nature  fights  doggedly  with  man  for  the 
preservation  of  her  virgin  solitudes.  Still,  withal,  Jack  was 
a  finer  man  than  he  was.  What  were  his  luxurious  travels, 
his  antarctic  explorations,  in  comparison  with  th«,  actual 
hardships  undergone  by  this  dauntless  pioneer  of  civiliza- 
tion? Jack  was  one  who  did  some  good  in  the  world;  but 
as  for  himself — well,  Philip  did  not  care  about  pursuing 
the  idea  to  its  bitter  end,  as  the  sequence  could  hardly 
prove  satisfactory  to  his  self-love.  He  irritably  threw  away 
his  cigarette,  moved  restlessly  in  his  chair,  ard  finally 
expressed  himself  in  words. 

"  Why  do  you  come  here,  Jack,  and  make  us  feel  like 
wastrels?  A  few  hours  ago  and  I  rather  prided  nyself  on 
myself;  but  now  you  make  me  feel  idle,  and  lazy,  and  self- 
ish, and  effeminate.  It's  too  bad  of  you,  Jack." 

Brains  were  not  Duval's  strong  point,  and,  unable  to  un- 
derstand the  meaning  of  this  outburst,  he  simply  stared  in 
vague  astonishment  at  Sir  Philip.  Tim  and  the  doctor, 
pausing  in  their  conversation,  pricked  up  their  ear?,  while 
Cassim,  paying  no  attention  to  this  sudden  enlargement  of 
his  audience,  went  on  speaking,  half  peevishly,  half  good- 
humoredly. 


26  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"  I  am  the  enervated  type  of  an  effete  civilization.  You, 
my  friend,  are  the  lusty  young  savage  to  whom  the  shaping 
of  the  future  is  given.  You  are  Walt  Whitman's  tan-faced 
man,  the  incarnation  of  the  dominating  Anglo-Saxon  race, 
ever  pushing  forward  into  fresh  worlds.  As  compared 
with  mine,  your  primeval  life  is  absolutely  perfect.  The 
Sybarite  quails  before  the  clear  glance  of  the  child  of  nat- 
ure. Take  me  with  you  into  the  wilderness,  John  Duval. 
Teach  me  how  to  emulate  the  Last  of  the  Mohicans.  Make 
me  as  resourceful  as  Kobinson  Crusoe.  I  am  a  prematurely 
old  man,  Jack,  and  I  wish  to  be  a  child  once  more." 

"What  the  deuce  are  you  driving  at,  Philip?"  asked 
practical  Jack. 

"  It's  from  a  book  he's  writing,"  suggested  Tim,  with  a 
laugh. 

"Melancholia,"  hinted  Peter,  who  was  nothing  if  not 
medicinal. 

Philip  laughed  and  lighted  a  fresh  cigarette.  Duval  ran 
his  hand  through  his  curly  locks,  pulled  hard  at  his  pipe, 
and  delivered  himself  bluntly. 

"  I  suppose  all  that  balderdash  means  that  you  are  tired 
of  London." 

"  Very  much  so." 

"Why,  you  never  stay  two  days  in  London," said  Peter, 
in  astonishment. 

"Neither  do  I.  Don't  I  tell  you  I'm  tired  of  it?  Be 
quiet,  Peter;  I  can  see  that  Jack  is  on  the  verge  of  being 
delivered  of  a  great  idea." 

"Upon  my  word,  that's  cute  of  you,  Philip,"  exclaimed 
Jack,  admiringly.  "  Yes,  I  have  a  scheme  to  propound, 
for  the  carrying  out  which  I  need  your  assistance;  in  fact, 
the  assistance  of  all  three." 

"  This  promises  to  be  an  interesting  conversation,"  said 
Cassim,  in  an  animated  tone.  "Proceed,  John  Duval, 
engineer.  What  is  it  you  wish  us  to  do?" 

"  I  had  better  begin  at  the  beginning,  gentlemen  all." 

"That's  generally  considered  the  best  way,"  observed 
Peter,  with  mild  sarcasm. 

"  Be  quiet!  you  small  pill-box.     Let  Jack  speak." 

"As  I  told  you  at  dinner,"  said  Jack,  placing  his  elbows 
backward  on  the  mantel-shelf,  "I  have  been  all  over  the 
world  since  I  last  saw  your  three  faces.  China,  Peru,  New 


THE   DEVIL  STONE.  27 

Zealand,  India,  Turkey — I  know  all  those  places,  and 
many  others.  I  have  made  money;  I  have  lost  money;  I 
have  had  ups  and  downs;  but  everywhere,  I  can  safely  say, 
I've  had  a  good  time." 

"  Same  here,"  murmured  Tim,  refilling  his  pipe. 

"At  present  I  am  in  Central  America,"  pursued  Jack, 
taking  no  notice  of  the  interpolation,  "  under  engagement 
as  a  railway  engineer  to  the  Republic  of  Cholacaca." 

"  Cholacaca?"  echoed  Tim,  loudly;  "isn't  it  there  the 
row's  to  take  place  ?  " 

"Why,  what  do  you  know  about  it,  Tim?" 

"  A  special  correspondent  knows  a  lot  of  things," 
returned  Fletcher,  sagely.  "Go  on  with  the  music,  my 
boy.  I'll  tell  you  something  when  you've  ended." 

Jack  looked  hard  at  Tim  and  hesitated,  but  Philip, 
curled  up  luxuriously  in  his  big  chair,  asked  him  to  pro- 
ceed. 

"You're  going  to  tell  an  Arabian  Night  story,  Jack." 

"  Well,  it  sounds  like  one." 

"Good!  I  love  romance.  It's  something  about  buried 
cities,  and  Aztecs,  and  treasure,  and  the  god  Huitzilo- 
pochtli." 

"Oh,  bosh!    You've  been  reading  Prescott." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  observed  Peter,  plaintively,  "  that 
with  all  these  interruptions  we'll  never  hear  the  story." 

"  The  first  that  speaks  will  be  crushed,"  announced  Tim, 
glaring  around.  "If  you  please,  Mr.  Duval,  it's  waiting 
we  are." 

Jack  laughed,  and  resumed  his  story. 

"  While  I  was  at  Tlatonac — that  is  the  capital  of  the 
Republic — I  became  mixed  up  in  certain  events,  political 
and  otherwise.  I  found  I  could  do  nothing  I  wanted  to 
without  assistance;  so,  as  I  suddenly  remembered  our 
promise  to  meet  here  this  year,  I  came  straight  to  London. 
In  fact,  I  was  in  such  a  hurry  to  find  out  if  you  three  had 
remembered  the  appointment,  that  I  left  my  luggage  at 
the  railway  station  and  came  on  by  a  hansom  to  Portrnan 
Square.  This  is  the  reason  I  am  not  in  evening  dress." 

"  Oh,  deuce  take  your  evening  dress,"  said  Philip, 
irritably;  "you  might  have  come  in  a  bathing-towel  for  all 
I  cared.  I  didn't  want  to  see  your  clothes.  I  wanted  to 
see  you.  Go  on  with  the  story  of  the  buried  city." 


28  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  How  do  you  know  my  story  is  about  a  buried  city? 

"  I  never  heard  a  romance  of  Central  America  that 
wasn't." 

"  You'll  hear  one  now,  then.  This  isn't  about  a  city 
— it's  concerning  a  stone." 

"A  stone?"  echoed  his  three  listeners. 

"Yes.     An  opal.     A  harlequin  opal." 

"And  what  is  a  harlequin  opal,  Jack?" 

"Tim,  I'm  astonished  at  your  ignorance.  A  special 
correspondent  should  know  all  things.  A  harlequin  opal 
is  one  containing  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  and  a  few 
extra  ones  besides." 

"Well,  Jack,  and  this  special  opal?" 

"It's  one  of  the  most  magnificent  jewels  in  the  world." 

"Have  you  seen  it?" 

Jack  drew  a  long  breath. 

"Yes,  once.  Great  Scott,  what  a  gem!  You  fellows 
can't  conceive  its  beauty.  It  is  as  large  as  a  guinea-hen's 
egg.  Milky  white,  and  shooting  rays  of  blue  and  green, 
and  red  and  yellow,  like  fireworks.  It  belongs  to  Monte- 
zuma." 

"I  thought  those  everlasting  Aztecs  would  come  in," 
said  Philip,  smiling.  "  Well,  Jack,  and  what  about  this 
stone?" 

"Ah,  that's  a  long  story." 

"What  of  that?  The  night's  young  and  the  liquor's 
plentiful." 

"  I  don't  mind  sitting  up  all  night,  if  the  story  is  inter- 
esting. Start  at  once,  Jack,  and  don't  keep  us  any  loiiger 
in  suspense.  I  hate  wire-drawn  agonies." 

"  A  year  ago  I  was  pottering  about  at  Zacatecas  over  a 
wretched  little  railway  that  wasn't  worth  bothering  about. 
Being  hard  up,  I  went  in  for  it  in  default  of  something 
better;  but  meanwhile  kept  my  eyes  open  to  see  what  I 
could  drop  into.  After  some  months  I  heard  that  the 
Republic  of  Cholacaca  was  about  to  open  up  the  country 
with  railways,  so  I  thought  I'd  go  there  to  get  a  -job." 

"Where 'is  Cholacaca  f" 

"Down  Yucatan  way,  not  far  from  Guatemala." 

"Oh,  I  know;  looks  on  to  Campeche  Bay." 

"N"o,  on  the  other  side  of  the  neck.  Washed  by  the 
Carribean  Sea." 


THE  DEVIL  STONE.  29 

"  I  must  get  you  to  show  it  to  me  on  the  map,"  said 
Vhilip,  finding  his  geographical  knowledge  at  fault.  "I 
have  an  idea  of  its  whereabouts,  but  not  of  its  precise 
locality.  Meanwhile  let  us  continue  your  adventures." 

"  When-I  heard  of  this  prospect  at  Tlatonac,"  continued 
Jack,  without  further  preamble,  "  I  left  Zacatecas  for 
Mexico,  staying  a  few  days  in  the  capital  to  make  inquiries 
about  the  Eepublic.  These  proving  satisfactory,  I  went 
on  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  fortunately  fdund  a  coasting- vessel 
which  took  me  on  to  Cholucaca.  Considering  the  ship,  I 
got  to  my  destination  pretty  sharp.  I  didn't  know  a  soul 
in  the  town  when  I  arrived;  but  after  a  few  days  began 
to  pick  up  a  few  acquaintances.  Among  these  was  Don 
Miguel  Maraquando,  a  wealthy  old  Estanciero.  He  has 
great  influence  in  Cholacaca,  being  a  member  of  the  Junta, 
and  is  regarded  by  many  people  as  the  future  president  of 
the  Republic." 

"  That  is  if  Don  Hypolito  stands  out,"  said  Tim,  softly. 

"Have  you  heard — "began  Jack;  when  the  journalist 
cut  him  short. 

"  I've  heard  many  things,  my  boy.  Later  on,  I'll  tell 
you  all  I  know." 

"You  seem  to  be  pretty  well  acquainted  with  what's 
going  on  in  Cholacaca,"  said  Jack,  after  a  few  moments' 
reflection;  (<  but  I'll  tell  my  story  first,  and  you  can  tell 
yours  afterward.  Don  Miguel  became  a  great  friend  of 
mine,  and  I  saw  a  good  deal  of  him  while  I  stayed  at 
Tlatonac.  He  is  greatly  in  favor  of  this  railway,  which  is 
to  be  made  from  the  capital  to  Acauhtzin,  a  distance  of 
some  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez,  the 
leader  of  the  Oposidores,  objected  to  the  scheme  on  the 
ground  that  it  was  utterly  unnecessary  to  run  a  railway  to 
Acauhtzin  when  ships  could  take  goods  there  by  water." 

"And  isn't  the  man  right?"  said  Tim,  indignantly; 
"  what's  the  use  of  running  a  railway  along  the  sea- 
coast?" 

"  We'll  argue  that  question  later  on,"  replied  Jack, 
dryly;  "  I  have  my  own  ideas  on  the  subject,  and,  as  an 
engineer,  I  know  what  I'm  talking  about.  Don  Hypolito's 
objection  sounds  all  right,  I  have  no  doubt;  but  if  you 
look  into  the  matter  you  will  see  he  hasn't  a  leg  to  stand 
on.  Besides,  he's  only  objecting  to  the  railway  out  of 


30  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

sheer  cussedness  because  Maraquaudo  won't  let  him  marry 
Dona  Dolores/' 

"Ah,  ah!"  observed  Philip,  who  had  been  listening  to 
the  story  with  great  attention,  "  I  was  waiting  for  the 
inevitable  woman  to  appear  on  the  scene.  And  who  is 
Dona  Dolores?" 

"  She  is  Maraquando's  ward,"  replied  Jack,  coloring  a 
little. 

"  With  whom  you  are  in  love?  " 

"  I  didn't  say  that,  Philip." 

"No;  but  you  looked  it." 

Peter  chuckled,  whereat  Duval  turned  on  him  crossly. 

"  I  wish  you  would  stop  making  such  a  row,  Peter;  I 
can't  hear  myself  speak." 

"Well,  what  about  Dona  Dolores?"  persisted  Philip, 
maliciously. 

"  Dona  Dolores,"  repeated  Jack,  calmly,  "  is  the  woman 
whom  I  hope  to  make  my  wife." 

At  this  startling  announcement  there  was  a  dead  silence. 

"I  congratulate  you,  Jack,"  said  Cassim,  gravely,  after 
a  momentary  pause.  "  I  hope  you  will  ask  us  all  to  your 
wedding.  But  what  has  this  story  of  politics,  railways,  and 
love  to  do  with  the  harlequin  opal?" 

"Everything.  Listen.  Don  Hypolito  is  an  ambitious 
man  who  wants  to  become  dictator  of  Cholacaca,  and  rule 
that  republic  as  Doctor  Francia  did  Paraguay.  Now,  the 
easiest  way  in  which  he  can  obtain  his  desires  is  to  marry 
Dolores." 

"  What!     Is  she  the  heiress  of  the  Republic?" 

"No;  but  she  is  the  lawful  owner  of  the  Chalclmih 
Tlatonac." 

"  What  in  heaven's  name  is  that?  " 

"  It  means  '  the  shining  precious  stone'  in  the  Toltec 
tongue." 

"The  deuce!"  murmured  Philip,  in  an  amused  tone; 
"we  have  got  past  the  Aztecs." 

"  I  suppose  this  shining  precious  stone  is  the  harlequin 
opal?"  said  Peter,  inquiringly. 

"Precisely.  This  celebrated  stone  is  hundreds  of  years 
old.  Tradition  says  it  was  the  property  of  Quetzalcoatl." 

"  That's  the  Mexican  god  of  the  air,"  said  Philip,  who 
knew  all  sorts  of  stray  facts. 


THE   DEVIL  STONE.  31 

"Yes.     You've  read  that  in  Prescott." 

' '  No,  I  didn't.  Bancroft  is  my  authority.  But  how  did 
it  come  into  the  possession  of  your  Dona  Dolores?" 

"  Oh,  she  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Moutezuma." 

"  An  Aztec  princess.  Jack,  yon  are  making  a  royal 
match." 

"I'm  afraid  there  is  very  little  royalty  about  Dolores," 
replied  Jack,  laughing;  "but  as  regards  this  stone, 
Quetzalcoatl  gave  it  to  Huitzilopochtli." 

"Lord!  what  names." 

"When  Cortez  conquered  Mexico  he  found  the  stone 
adorning  the  statue  of  the  war  god  in  his  famous  teocalli 
in  the  city  of  the  Aztecs.  One  of  the  Spanish  adventurers 
stole  it,  and  afterward  married  a  daughter  of  Montezuma. 
When  she  found  out  that  he  had  the  opal  she  stole  it  from 
him  and  went  off  down  south,  where  she  delivered  it  to 
some  native  priest  in  one  of  those  Central  American  forests." 

"Where  it  remains  still?" 

"  By  no  means.  This  woman  had  a  son  by  the  Spaniard, 
a  Mestizo — as  they  call  this  mixture  of  Indian  and  Spanish 
blood.  He,  I  believe,  claimed  the  stone  as  his  property; 
whereon  the  high  priest  of  Huitzilopochtli  proposed  to 
sacrifice  him.  Not  being  a  religious  man,  he  disliked  the 
idea  and  ran  away,  taking  the  stone  with  him.  He 
reached  the  coast,  and  married  a  native  woman.  There 
they  set  up  a  temple  on  their  own  account  to  the  god  of 
war,  and  round  it,  as  time  went  on,  grew  a  settlement 
which  was  called  after  the  opal  '  Chalchuih  Tlatonac/ 
Then  the  Spaniards  came  and  conquered  the  town,  which 
they  rechristened  Puebla  de  Nuestra  Sefiora  de  la  Con- 
cepcion;  but  the  name  didn't  catch  on,  and  it  is  now 
known  by  its  old  Indian  name  of  Tlatonac.  Of  course 
there  are  a  good  many  Spaniards  there  still,  descendants 
of  the  Oonquistadores;  but  the  majority  of  the  population 
are  Indians." 

"And  what  became  of  the  opal?" 

"Well,  as  the  Spaniards  tried  to  get  hold  of  it,  the 
Indians  took  it  inland  to  one  of  their  forest  retreats.  The 
descendants  of  Monteznma,  however,  are  still  supposed  to 
be  its  guardians,  and  when  one  owner  dies  the  opal  is 
brought  secretly  to  Tlatonac  and  shown  to  the  new 
possessor;  then  it  is  taken  back  to  its  forest  sanctuary." 


32  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"Where  did  you  see  it?"  asked  Philip,  curiously. 

"  That's  the  whole  point  of  the  story/'  answered  Jack, 
thoughtfully.  "The  son  of  Montezuma's  daughter  mar- 
ried a  native  woman,  as  I  told  you;  their  son,  however, 
married  a  Spanish  lady,  and  so  the  race  was  continued. 
Off  and  on  they  married  Indian  and  Spaniard.  This 
mixing  of  race  isn't  good,  from  a  philoprogenitive  point  of 
view,  and  Dolores  is  the  last  descendant  of  the  original 
owner  of  the  opal.  Therefore,  she  is  its  guardian,  and 
that  is  the  reason  Don  Hypolito  wants  to  marry  her." 

"He  wishes  to  obtain  the  stone  as  a  wedding  dowry?" 

"  Yes.  This  Chalchuih  Tlatonac  is  an  object  of  super- 
stitious veneration  to  the  Indians.  They  are  supposed  to 
be  converted,  but  they  all  more  or  less  cling  to  their  old 
beliefs.  In  one  of  these  mysterious  forests  stands  a  temple 
to  Huitzilopochtli,  and  there  a  good  many  of  them  go  in 
secret  to  consult  the  opal.  How  they  consult  it  I  don't 
know,  unless  by  its  changing  colors.  Now,  if  Hypolito 
marries  Dolores,  through  her  he  might  seize  the  stone.  If 
he  becomes  its  possessor  he  could  do  what  he  pleased  with 
the  Indian  population.  As  they  greatly  outnumber  the 
Spanish  element,  he  would  use  them  to  raise  himself  to 
the  Dictatorship  of  Cholacaca." 

"  Then  he  doesn't  love  the  girl?  " 

"  Not  a  bit,"  replied  Jack,  viciously;  "  all  he  wants  is  to 
marry  her,  and  thus  gain  possession  of  the  devil  stone. 
Besides,  apart  from  the  use  it  would  be  to  him  from  a 
superstitious  point  of  view,  he  would  like  to  obtain  the  stone 
for  its  own  sake.  It  is  a  magnificent  gem." 

"Has  he  seen  it  also?" 

"  Yes;  at  the  same  time  as  I  did.  Dolores'  father  died, 
and  she  became  the  ward  of  her  uncle,  Don  Miguel.  I 
was  a  good  deal  about  the  house,  and  naturally  enough  fell 
in  love  with  her." 

"Jack!  Jack!" 

"You'll  fall  in  love  with  her  yourself,  Philip,  when  you 
see  her;  she's  an  angel." 

"  Of  course.  You  say  that  because  you  are  in  love  with 
her.  Does  she  return  your  love? " 

'  Yes;  she  is  as  fond  cf  me  as  I  am  of  her." 

'  And  what  does  Don  Miguel,  the  proud  hidalgo,  say?" 

"  He  says  nothing,  because  he  knows  nothing,"  said  Jack, 


THE   DEVIL  STONE.  33 

promptly;  "we  haven't  told  him  yet.  However,  when 
Dolores  and  myself  found  out  we  loved  one  another,  she 
told  me  all  about  this  Ohalclmih  Tlatonac,  and  how  she 
expected  it  was  to  be  shown  to  her,  according  to  custom. 
A  few  nights  afterward  the  priest  arrived  secretly  and 
showed  her  the  stone.  While  she  was  holding  it  up,  I 
entered  the  room  suddenly  with  Don  Hypolito.  We  saw 
the  opal  flashing  like  a  rainbow  in  her  hand.  By  heaven, 
boys,  I  never  saw  such  splendor  in  my  life.  We  only  had 
a  glimpse,  of  it,  for  as  soon  as  the  old  priest  saw  us  he 
snatched  it  out  of  her  hand  and  bolted.  I  followed,  but 
lost  him,  so  tho  opal  went  back  to  the  forest  temple;  and 
Lord  only  knows  \vliere  that  is." 

"  Doesn't  Dona  Dolores  know?" 

"No;  nobody  knows  except  the  priests.  They  meet  the 
worshipers  on  the  verge  of  the  forest  and  blindfold  them 
before  leading  them  to  the  shrine." 

"  And  how  did  Don  Hypolito  find  out  Dolores  was  the 
guardian  of  the  opal?"  asked  Peter,  after  a  pause. 

"  Oh,  the  story  is  common  property.  But  the  opal  isn't 
of  much  value  to  Dolores.  She  is  called  its  guardian,  but 
has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Now  I  suppose  she'll  never  see 
it  again. " 

"  It's  a  queer  story  anyhow,"  observed  Tim,  reflectively; 
"  I  would  like  to  see  that  jewel." 

"  That's  what  I've  come  to  see  you  all  about,"  said  Jack, 
excitedly.  "  I  want  you  all  to  come  with  me  to  Cholacaca, 
and  help  me  to  marry  Dolores  and  get  the  devil  stone." 

The  three  remained  silent,  and  a  shade  of  disappoint- 
ment passed  over  Duval's  face. 

"  Of  course,  if  you  fellows  don't  care,  I — '' 

"  Wait  a  moment,  Jack,"  interrupted  Philip,  slowly. 
"Don't  jump  to  conclusions.  You  want  us  to  go  to  Cen- 
tral America?" 

"Yes." 

"  And  upset  Don  Hypolito's  little  plans?" 

"Exactly."' 

"  Speaking  for  myself,"  said  Philip,  quietly,  "  there  is 
nothing  I  would  like  better.  I  am  with  you,  Jack.  But 
Peter- 

"  Oh,  I'll  come  too,"  said  the  doctor,  serenely,  "if  it's 
only  to  collect  butterflies.  While  I'm  on  the  spot,  I  may 
a 


34  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

as  well  help.  There's  sure  to  be  fighting,  and  I  can  attend 
to  the  wounded.  You  can  depend  upon  me,  Jack;  I'll  be 
your  family  physician,  and  physic  the  lot  of  you." 

"Bravo!  "  cried  Jack,  his  face  lighting  up  as  he  grasped 
a  hand  of  each.  "  And  what  do  you  say,  Tim?  " 

"Your  story  is  queer,"  remarked  Tim,  solemnly,  "but 
mine  is  queerer.  I'll  go  with  the  greatest  of  pleasure, 
Jack;  but  it  so  happens  I'm  going  out  to  the  same  place 
for  The  Morning  Planet." 

"What!" 

"It's  a  coincidence,  anyhow,  Jack.  I  told  you  I  knew 
about  Don  Hypolito." 

"  You  did." 

"Have  you  seen  the  evening  papers?" 

"No;  I  was  too  excited  at  the  idea  of  meeting  you  fellows 
to  bother  about  reading." 

"  You  are  an  ignorant  person.  While  you've  been  fast 
in  coming  here,  the  telegraph's  been  faster.  From  all 
accounts,  there's  going  to  be  a  shindy  in  Cholacaca." 

"  Dolores!  "  gasped  Jack,  turning  pale. 

"Oh,  you  needn't  be  distressful,"  said  Fletcher,  hastily; 
"there's  nothing  much  up  as  yet.  I  saw  the  telegram 
myself  this  morning.  Don  Hypolito  has  left  Tlatonac, 
and  gone  to  that  other  town — what  d'ye  call  it?  'Tis  on 
the  tip  of  my  tongue." 

"  Acauhtzin." 

"  Yes,  that's  the  name.  'Tis  said  he's  trying  to  stir  up 
a  row;  but  there's  no  news  of  any  consequence  at  all! " 

"You've  been  ordered  to  the  front,  then,  Tim?"  said 
Philip,  quickly. 

"  You've  hit  it,  my  boy!  I  was  in  the  office  this  morn- 
ing, and  the  editor  called  me  in.  '  D'ye  want  a  trip  ? ' 
says  he.  ' I  don't  mind,'  says  I.  '  There's  going  to  be 
trouble  again  in  South  America,' says  he.  '  What!  'says 
I,  'are  the  Peruvians  at  it  again?'  '  No/  says  he,  'it's 
Cholacaca.'  '  And  where's  that?'  says  I.  'It's  more  nor 
I  know/  says  he.  'Find  out  on  the  map,  and  hold  your- 
self in  readiness  to  go.'  So  I  left  him  at  once,  and  looked 
up  the  map;  found  out  all  I  could  about  the  place,  and  at 
any  minute  I'm  expecting  to  be  sent  off." 

"Jove!  how  curious,"  said  Jack,  reflectively.  "  I  didn't 
expect  Don  Hypolito  to  cause  trouble  quite  so  soon;  but  I 


DEVIL  STONE.  35 

saw  things  were  shaping  that  way.  It's  strange,  Tim,  that 
you  should  be  going  to  the  very  place  I  wish  you  to  go  to. 
But  Philip  and  Peter  won't  like  to  come  now." 

"It  doesn't  make  the  slightest  difference  to  me,"  said 
Philip,  coolly.  "  In  fact,  like  Xeres,  I'm  longing  for  a 
new  pleasure.  I've  never  been  in  a  war,  and  should  like 
the  novelty  of  the  thing.  As  to  Peter,  he's  coming  to 
resume  his  profession  on  the  battle-field." 

"  But  what  about  my  butterflies?"  remonstrated  Peter, 
who  did  not  exactly  relish  the  idea  of  being  put  in  the  fore- 
front of  the  battle.  He  objected  to  the  rOle  of  Uriah. 

"Oh,  you  can  do  all  that  sort  of  thing  between  times. 
The  main  thing  is  to  get  the  better  of  Don  Hypolito,  and 
help  Jack." 

"Very  well,  Philip,"  said  the  little  man,  meekly,  "I'll 
come." 

"But  your  practice,"  hesitated  Jack,  not  liking  to  be 
selfish. 

"  Why,  the  poor  little  man  hasn't  got  one,"  laughed  Tim, 
digging  Peter  in  the  ribs.  "Hasn't  he  killed  his  patients 
long  ago,  and  is  now  starving  on  five  hundred  a  year,  poor 
sou  1. " 

"  It's  very  kind  of  you  all!"  said  Duval,  looking  at  his 
three  friends.  "  But  I  feel  that  I'm  leading  you  into 
trouble." 

"Not  me,"  declared  Tim,  stoutly;  "'tis  The  Morning 
Planet's  to  blame,  if  I  peg  out." 

"  And  I  want  some  excitement,"  said  Philip,  gaily;  "and 
Peter  wants  butterflies;  don't  you,  Doctor?  We're  all  free 
agents  in  the  matter,  Jack,  and  will  go  with  pleasure." 

"  How  strange,"  said  Peter,  pensively;  "  we  little  thought 
at  Bedford  that—" 

"Peter,  don't  be  sentimental,"  interrupted  the  baronet, 
jumping  up.  "We  little  thought  our  meeting  would 
bring  us  good  luck,  if  that  is  what  you  mean.  I'm 
delighted  at  this  new  conquest  of  Mexico." 

"  We  must  start  at  once,  Philip." 

"  My  dear  Jack,  we  will  start  the  day  after  to-morrow, 
in  my  yacht.  She's  lying  down  at  Yarmouth,  in  the  Isle 
of  Wight,  and  is  ready  to  get  steam  up  at  a  minute's 
notice." 

"  Is  she  a  fast  boat?  " 


36  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"Fast!"  echoed  Philip,  indignant  at  the  imputation; 
"  she's  the  fastest  steam-yacht  afloat.  Wait  till  she  clears 
the  Channel,  then  you'll  see  what  a  clean  pair  of  heels  she 
can  show." 

"  The  quicker  the  better.  I  don't  want  to  arrive  at 
Tlatonac  and  find  Dolores  missing." 

"  You  won't  find  a  hair  of  her  head  touched.  You  shall 
marry  her,  Jack,  and  inherit  the  harlequin  opal,  and  go 
and  be  priest  to  Huitzilopochtli,  if  you  like.  Now  have  a 
glass  of  wine." 

Tim,  who  was  always  handy  when  liquor  was  about,  had 
already  filled  the  glasses  and  solemnly  handed  them  to  his 
friends. 

"  To  the  health,"  said  Tim,  standing  up  huge  and  burly, 
"  of  the  future  Mrs.  Duval." 

The  toast  was  drunk  with  acclamation. 


CHAPTER  III. 

"THE    BOHEAIIAN." 

Come,  lads,  and  send  the  capstan  round, 

Oh,  Rio!   Rio! 
Our  ijood  old  barkey's  outward  bound, 

Oh,  Rio!  Rio! 

So,  shipmates,  all  look  sharp  and  spry, 
To  Poll  and  Nancy  say  good-by, 
And  tell  them,  if  tiiey  pipe  their  eye, 
We're  bound  for  Rio  Grande. 

The  old  man  drank  his  grog  and  swore, 

Oli,  Rio!  Rio! 
He'd  stay  no  longer  slack  ashore, 

Oh,  Rio!  Rio! 

"  Come,  tumble  up,  my  lads,"  sez  he, 
"  An'  weigh  the  anchor  speedily. 
In  twenty  days  the  Cross  we'll  see, 
We're  bound  for  Rio  Grande." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  her?  "  asked  Philip,  with  justi- 
fiable pride. 

"  She's  as  near  perfection  as  can  be,"  replied  Jack, 
enthusiastically;  "  no  two  opinions  about  that,  old  fellow." 

The  Bohemian  was  a  superbly  modeled  craft,  and  well 
deserved  their  admiration  as  she  lay  in  Yarmouth  Harbor, 
Isle  of  Wight.  Schooner  rigged  fore  and  aft,  she  was 
close  on  200  tons  yacht  measurement,  and  one  of  the 
smartest  vessels  of  her  kind  in  British  waters.  Putting 
aside  her  speed  when  the  screw  was  spinning,  she  was 
renowned  for  her  sailing  capabilities.  With  all  sails  set 
and  a  fair  wind,  she  could  smoke  through  the  water  at  the 
rate  of  fifteen  knots  an  hour.  Thanks  to  her  owner's 
wandering  proclivities,  she  was  well  known  in  every 
civilized  port,  and  a  good  many  savage  anchorages  had 
also  seen  her  graceful  form  glide  into  their  smooth  waters. 

Some  said  that  her  engines  were  too  powerful  for  her 
frame;  and,  indeed,  when  all  her  furnaces  were  going  the 
boat  quivered  from  stem  to  stern  at  every  rise  and  fall  of 


38  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

the  cranks.  Philip,  however,  rarely  used  the  full  power 
of  her  screw,  as  it  was  quite  unnecessary;  but  when  she 
did  fire  up  to  the  extent  of  her  furnace  accommodation 
her  speed  was  something  wonderful.  Sometimes  the 
baronet  used  the  screw,  more  often  the  sails;  and,  with 
her  white  wings  spread  like  summer  clouds,  The  Bohemian, 
leaning  to  leeward,  rode  the  surges  like  a  Venus  of  the 
foam.  Taper  masts,  splendid  spars,  cotton-white  cloths, 
she  looked  a  thing  of  beauty  as  she  swirled  through  the 
sea  in  a  smother  of  foam.  She  was  the  pride  of  Philip's 
heart,  and,  whether  becalmed  in  the  doldrums  or  seething 
through  troubled  waters  in  the  heel  of  the  trade,  was  well 
worthy  of  her  owner's  admiration. 

Jack  was  scarcely  less  enthusiastic.  He  knew  more  of 
the  land  than  of  the  sea,  and  this  was  the  first  time  he  had 
ever  had  the  opportunity  of  inspecting  a  crack  yacht.  It 
was  impossible  not  to  admire  her  milk-white  decks,  her 
well-polished  brasses,  and  the  general  spruceness  of  her 
whole  appearance.  Philip  attended  thoroughly  well  to 
her  wants,  and  despite  her  frequent  voyagings  in  stormy 
seas,  she  always  looked  as  though  she  had  just  left  dry 
dock.  When  the  screw  thrashed  the  water  into  silver 
froth,  and  the  black  smoke  poured  from  the  wide  funnel, 
The  Bohemian  knew  what  was  expected  of  her,  and  put 
her  heart  into  her  work.  In  such  a  craft  it  was  impossible 
that  a  voyage  could  be  otherwise  than  pleasant,  and  Jack 
looked  forward  to  having  a  thoroughly  jolly  run  to  Yuca- 
tan with  his  old  school-fellows. 

As  has  before  been  stated,  they  were  at  Yarmouth.  Not 
that  land-and-water  Norfolk  puddle,  but  the  quaint  little 
seaport  in  the  Isle  of  Wight.  It  was  famous  enough  in  the 
old  days,  and  in  the  reign  of  our  second  Charles  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  island  made  it  his  headquarters.  Now  his 
old  residence  is  turned  into  a  hotel,  and  in  comparison 
with  Cowes  and  Ryde  this  once  populous  town  is  a  mere 
nothing.  With  its  narrow  streets  and  antique  houses  and 
indolent  townsfolk,  it  has  an  old-world  air,  and  is  still 
affected  by  some  yachtsmen  at  the  time  when  the  Solent  is 
full  of  graceful  boats.  Philip  was  very  fond  of  this  out-of- 
the-way  seaport,  and  generally  left  The  Bohemian  in  its 
harbor  when  he  wished  to  run  up  to  town. 

After  that  famous  dinner  the  four  friends  separated  in 


"THE   BOHEMIAN."  39 

order  to  prepare  for  the  voyage.  As  they  had  only  one 
clear  day  in  which  to  do  all  things,  there  was  little  time  to 
be  lost.  Peter  started  for  Barnstaple  by  the  early  train 
in  order  to  arrange  his  affairs,  and,  to  save  time,  Philip 
agreed  to  pick  him  up  at  Plymouth.  The  special  corre- 
spondent went  straight  to  his  chief,  and  told  him  of  his 
desire  to  start  for  Cholacaca  at  once;  so,  as  it  seemed 
pretty  certain  that  the  difference  between  Don  Hypolito 
and  the  Government  would  culminate  in  a  civil  war,  Tim 
duly  received  his  orders.  Now  he  was  flying  round  town 
collecting  needful  articles  for  his  campaign,  and  was 
expected  down  by  the  early  train. 

On  his  part,  Jack  had  absolutely  nothing  to  do  in 
London.  He  already  possessed  all  necessaries,  and  had 
neither  the  money  nor  the  inclination  to  buy  things  he  did 
not  want.  Indeed,  leaving  the  bulk  of  his  belongings  in 
Tlatonac,  he  had  arrived  in  England  with  but  a  single 
portmanteau,  which  had  been  left  at  the  station.  Philip 
carried  the  homeless  wanderer  to  his  club,  and  put  him 
up  for  the  night,  and  next  day  they  took  themselves  and 
the  solitary  portmanteau  down  to  Yarmouth,  where  they 
soon  made  themselves  comfortable  on  board  the  yacht. 
All  things  being  thus  arranged,  they  only  waited  Tim's 
arrival  to  leave  for  Plymouth,  from  whence,  after  taking 
Peter  on  board,  The  Bohemian  could  bear  away  westward 
in  the  track  of  Columbus. 

With  all  his  indolence  Philip  was  no  dilettante  yachts- 
man, to  leave  everything  to  his  sailing  master,  and  thor- 
oughly believed  in  looking  after  things  himself.  After  dis- 
playing the  beauties  of  his  boat  to  Jack,  he  busied  himself 
with  seeing  about  stores,  and  making  sure  that  all  was  in 
order  for  the  voyage.  While  the  baronet  was  thus  engaged, 
Jack  wandered  over  the  yacht  in  a  musing  sort  of  fashion, 
thinking  not  so  much  of  the  scene  around  him  as  of  Dolo- 
res, and  of  the  possible  events  now  happening  at  Tlatonac. 

He  had  good  reason  to  mistrust  Don  Hypolito,  knowing 
as  he  did  how  treacherous  and  cruel  was  the  nature  of  that 
would-be  dictator.  Half  Indian,  half  Spanish,  this  Mestizo 
possessed  the  worst  traits  of  both  races,  and  once  his  pas- 
sions were  aroused  would  stop  at  nothing  to  accomplish 
his  desire.  It  was  true  that  it  was  principally  on  account 
of  the  opal  that  he  desired  to  marry  Dona  Dolores;  but  he 


40  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

was  also  iu  love  with  her  beauty,  and  adored  her  in  a  sen- 
sual, brutish  fashion  which  made  Jack  grind  his  teeth  and 
clench  his  hands  at  the  very  thought.  Yet  he  was  unde- 
niably a  clever  man,  and  skilled  in  diplomatic  intrigue; 
therefore  it  might  be  that  his  revolt  against  the  established 
Government  of  Cholacaca  would  end  in  his  assuming  the 
dictatorship.  In  such  an  event  he  would  certainly  force 
Dolores  to  become  his  wife;  and  against  his  power  the 
Englishman  would  be  able  to  do  nothing.  Still,  us  he  had 
now  the  aid  of  his  three  friends,  Duval  hoped,  if  it  came 
to  the  worst,  to  escape  with  Dolores  and  the  opal  in  Philip's 
yacht.  Once  on  the  open  sea,  and  they  could  laugh  at 
Xuarez  and  his  threats.  The  engines  of  The  Bohemian 
were  not  meant  for  show. 

What  Jack  feared  was  that  Don  Hypolito  might  have 
resorted  to  strong  measures,  and  carried  off  Dolores  with 
him  to  Acauhtzin.  Hitherto  there  had  been  no  suspicion 
that  he  intended  to  revolt;  so,  lulled  by  a  sense  of  false 
security,  Dolores  might  have  permitted  herself  to  be  kid- 
naped, in  which  case  Jack  hardly  knew  what  to  do. 
Still,  it  might  be  that  nothing  had  happened  save  the  with- 
drawal of  Xuarez  to  Acauhtzin,  and  Duval  fervently  hoped 
that  he  and  his  friends  might  arrive  at  Tlatonac  before  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities.  Provided  he  started  fair  with 
Xuarez  in  the  game,  Jack  hoped  to  come  off  winner — Dolo- 
res, the  opal,  and  the  Kepublic  being  the  stakes. 

"  If  we  start  to-morrow  it  will  not  be  long  before  we 
reach  Cholacaca/'  thought  Jack,  as  he  leaned  over  the 
tailrail  looking  absently  at  the  dull-hued  water.  "  Once 
there,  and  I  will  be  able  to  protect  Dolores.  If  the  worst 
comes,  there  is  always  Philip's  yacht;  and  as  to  marriage, 
I  am  sure  Maraquando  would  rather  see  his  niece  married 
to  me  than  to  that  Xuarez  half-breed." 

"  In  a  brown  study,  Jack?"  said  Cassinrs  voice,  behind 
him.  "  I  won't  give  a  penny  for  your  thoughts,  for  they 
are  worth  more." 

"  How  do  you  know  that?  " 

"  Because  you  are  thinking  of  Doila  Dolores." 

"  It's  a  true  bill,"  replied  Jack,  with  an  ingenuous  blush. 
'•'I  was  hoping  she  had  not  been  carried  off  to  Acauhtzin 
by  that  scoundrel  Xuarez." 

"'Oh,  your  friend  Don  Hypolito!     JSTot  a  bit  of  it.     If 


"THE   BOHEMIAN."  41 

all  you  say  is  correct,  he  is  in  too  serious  a  position,  at 
present,  to  hamper  himself  with  a  woman.  Don't  worry, 
fond  lover.  The  Bohemian  will  take  us  to  Central 
America  in  less  than  no  time,  and  if  there's  going  to  be  a 
row,  we'll  be  there  to  see  its  genesis." 

"I  hope  and  trust  so,"  said  Duval,  gloomily;  "but  I'm 
not  so  hopeful  as  you  are." 

"I  hopeful!  My  dear  lad,  I'm  the  most  pessimistic  per- 
son in  existence;  but  at  this  moment  I  look  at  things  from 
a  common  sense  point  of  view.  If  Xuarez  intends  busi- 
ness, he  has  withdrawn  to  Acauhtzin  to  make  his  plans. 
To  do  so,  lie  requires  time.  If  he  had  kidnaped  Dona 
Dolores,  things  would  be  brought  to  a  head  before  his  plans 
were  ripe.  Therefore  he  has  not  kidnaped  her.  Q.  E.  D. 
So  come  ashore,  and  don't  talk  nonsense." 

"Have  you  finished  your  business?  "  asked  Jack,  follow- 
ing Sir  Philip  into  his  boat. 

"  Yes,  everything  is  right.  As  soon  as  Tim  arrives  we 
will  start  for  Plymouth  to  pick  up  Peter.  I  wish  Tim 
would  come  down  to-night;  but  I  suppose  even  a  special 
correspondent  must  have  time  to  collect  his  traps." 

"  What  is  your  reason  for  going  ashore?  " 

"In  the  first  place  I  wish  to  send  a  wire  to  my  lawyer 
as  to  my  destination;  and  in  the  second,  I  desire  to  stretch 
my  legs.  Let  us  have  as  much  dry  land  as  we  can  get.  It 
will  be  nothing  but  sea  for  the  next  week  or  so." 

"  Have  you  been  long  ashore,  this  time?"  asked  Duval, 
as  they  went  up  to  the  telegraph  office. 

"  Only  five  or  six  days.  I  came  from  the  Guinea  coast, 
I  tell  you,  to  keep  this  appointment.  I  didn't  then  know 
it  would  result  in  a  Central  American  expedition." 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  regretting  your  determination?" 

"  My  dear  Jack,  I  am  delighted.  I  have  not  yet  seen  a 
war,  so  it  will  be  something  new.  Now  then,  Messrs. 
Bradshaw  &  Co.,"  he  added,  poising  his  pen  over  the 
telegraph  form,  "  I  had  better  tell  you  where  I  am  to  be 
found.  How  do  you  spell  Tlatonac,  Jack?" 

"  T-1-a-t-o-n-a-c,"  spelled  Jack,  slowly;  "  but  why  don't 
you  write  your  lawyer  a  letter,  instead  of  sending  an 
unsatisfactory  telegram  ?  " 

"I  have  nothing  to  write  about, "replied  Philip,  signing 
his  name  with  a  nourish;  "all  they  need  know  is  where  I 


42  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

am  in  case  of  my  possible  death,  so  as  to  make  things  right 
for  the  next-of-kin.  They  have  no  letters  to  forward.  I 
always  carry  plenty  of  money,  so  I  never  bother  my  head 
about  them,  beyond  giving  my  bare  address." 

"  Don't  they  object  to  such  unbusiness-like  habits?" 

"They  did  at  first,  but  finding  objections  of  no  use,  have 
quite  given  up  such  preachings.  Don't  trouble  any  more 
about  them,  but  let  us  take  a  walk.  '  You  take  a  walk, 
but  you  drink  tea/  said  Samuel  Johnson." 

"I  don't  see  the  connection,"  said  Jack,  soberly. 

"Neither  do  I;  but  what  matter.  e  Dulce  est  disipere 
in  loco.'  There  is  a  bit  of  dictionary  Latin  for  your 
delectation." 

"Peter  said  you  were  a  misanthrope,  Philip;  but  I  don't 
think  so  myself." 

"  Peter  is  a collector  of  butterflies,"  retorted  Philip, 

gaily.  "'I  was  a  misanthrope;  man  delighted  me  not,  nor 
woman  cither;  but  now  I  have  met  the  friends  of  my 
youth  I  feel  much  better.  The  friends  we  make  in  life 
are  never  as  dear  as  those  we  make  at  school.  Since  leav- 
ing Bedford  I  have  made  none.  I  have  lived  for  my  yacht 
and  in  my  yacht.  Now  that  I  have  you  and  Tim  and 
Peter  I  feel  that  I  am  rapidly  losing  the  character  for 
Timonism.  Like  Mr.  Buuthorne,  I  am  a  reformed 
character." 

"  Who  is  Mr.  Bunthorne?    A  friend  of  yours?" 

"Jack,  Jack!  you  are  a  sad  barbarian.  It  is  a  character 
in  one  of  Gilbert  and  Sullivan's  operas.  But  you  have 
lived  so  long  among  savages  that  you  don't  know  him;  in 
fact  1  don't  believe  you  know  who  Gilbert  and  Sullivan  are." 

"  Oh  yes,  I  do.     I'm  not  so  ignorant  as  all  that." 

"  There  is  balm  in  Gilead,  then,"  said  Cassim,  satirically, 
"Jack,  when  you  marry  Dolores  and  realize  the  opal,  you 
must  return  to  civilization.  I  can't  let  the  friend  of  my 
youth  dwell  among  the  tombs  any  longer." 

"  I  am  very  happy  among  the  tombs." 

"I  know  yon  are.  You  would  be  happy  anywhere," 
rejoined  Philip,  enviously.  "Would  I  were  as  easily  con- 
tented. Tell  me  how  to' be  happy,  Jack." 

"Get  married,"  returned  Jack,  promptly. 

"Married!"  echoed  Cassim,  as  though  the  idea  were  a 
new  revelation;  "that  is  a  serious  question,  Jack,  which 


"THE    BOHEMIAN."  43 

needs  serious  discussion.  Let  us  sit  down  on  this  soft  turf, 
my  friend,  and  you  shall  give  your  opinions  regarding  mat- 
rimony. You  don't  know  anything  about  it  as  yet;  but 
that  is  a  mere  detail." 

By  this  time,  owing  to  their  rapid  walking,  they  had  loft 
Yarmouth  far  behind,  and  having  turned  off  the  high  road 
were  now  strolling  across  a  field  yellow  with  gorse.  In  a 
few  minutes  they  arrived  at  a  land-slip  where  the  earth  fell 
suddenly  down  to  the  beach.  The  brow  of  this  was  cov- 
ered with  soft  grass,  starred  with  primroses,  and  Philip  threw 
himself  down  thereon  with  a  sigh  of  content.  Jack  more 
soberly  seated  himself  by  the  side  of  his  friend,  and  for  a 
few  moments  they  remained  silent,  gazing  at  the  scene. 
Below  was  the  rent  and  torn  earth,  on  either  side  a  scanty 
fringe  of  trees,  and  in  front  the  blue  sea  stretching  far 
away  toward  the  dim  line  of  the  Hampshire  coast.  A 
gentle  wind  was  blowing,  the  perfume  of  the  wild  flowers 
came  delicately  on  its  wings,  and  they  could  hear  the  waves 
lapping  on  the  beach  below,  while  occasionally  a  bird  piped 
in  the  near  boughs.  It  was  very  cool,  pastoral,  and  pleas- 
ant, grateful  enough  to  Jack's  eyes,  weary  of  the  burning 
skies  and  the  gorgeous  efflorescence  of  the  tropics.  Ah 
me !  how  often  we  sigh  for  green  and  misty  England  in  the 
lands  of  the  sun. 

"'There  is  no  land  like  England/"  quoted  Jack, 
absently  smelling  a  pale  primrose.  "Ah!  there  is  no 
doubt  it  is  the  most  delightful  country  in  the  whole 
world.  I  have  been  all  over  the  planet,  so  I  ought  to  know." 

"And  yet  you  propose  to  leave  the  land  you  profess  to 
love,"  said  Philip,  rolling  himself  over  so  as  to  catch  his 
friend's  eye.  "Jack,  you  are  not  consistent." 

"  I  must  earn  my  bread  and  butter.  Every  one  isn't  born 
like  you  with  a  silver  spoon  in  his  mouth.  If  I  can't  find 
employment  in  England  I  must  go  abroad.  Besides,  there 
is  always  Dolores." 

"Of  course,"  assented  Philip,  gravely,  "there  is  always 
Dolores.  Is  she  pretty,  Jack?" 

"Pretty!"  echoed  Duval,  with  huge  disdain;  "if  there 
is  one  adjective  that  does  not  describe  Dolores  it  is  'pretty.' 
She's  an  angel." 

"  Such  a  vague  description.  Era  Angelica,  Burne  Jones. 
Gustave  Dore",  all  paint  angels  differently." 


44  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mind  being  more  minute,  if  you  care  to 
listen.  But  I  do  not  wish  to  bore  you  with  my  love  affairs." 

"  I  like  to  be  bored  with  love  affairs — when  they  are 
those  of  Jack  Duval." 

Jack  smiled  thankfully.  He  was  eager  to  talk  of  Dolores 
to  Philip;  but  being  somewhat  sensitive  to  ridicule,  hesi- 
tated as  to  whether  he  should  do  so.  As  a  rule  a  man'V 
friends  do  not  care  about  listening  to  a  lover's  ravings. 
Women  are  the  most  sympathetic  in  such  a  case;  but  as 
Jack  had  no  female  friend  in  whom  to  confide,  he  had 
either  to  hold  his  tongue  or  tell  Philip.  Philip,  he 
thought,  would  not  care  for  descriptions  of  the  beloved 
one,  so  he  kept  silent;  but  now  that  he  had  been  warmly 
requested  to  be  as  explicit  as  he  pleased,  he  eagerly  has- 
tened to  unbosom  himself.  At  that  moment,  Jack  thought 
Philip  an  augel  of  sympathy. 

"  Dolores,"  he  began  slowly,  fixing  his  eyes  seaward.  "  is 
rather  tall,  with  a  charming  figure.  Her  hair  is  purple 
black,  her  face  oval,  and  her  complexion  inclined  to  be 
darkish.  She  has  teeth  like  pearls,  and  a  mouth  like  Cupid's 
bow.  Her  eyes — well,  her  eyes,"  said  Jack,  enthusiastic- 
ally, "are  like  those  velvety  dark  pansies  when  the  dew 
lies  on  them." 

"That's  the  first  original  epithet  you've  used,  Jack. 
Teeth  of  pearl  and  Cupid's  bow  for  a  mouth  are  old 
similes.  Dew  on  pansies  is  distinctly  good." 

"  Oh,  if  you  are  going  to  laugh,"  began  Jack,  angrily, 
when  Cassim  hastened  to  disclaim  any  such  discourtesy. 

"I'm  not  laughing,  my  dear  lad.  I  am  only  compli- 
menting you  on  your  ingenuity.  I  know  exactly  what 
kind  of  a  woman  Dolores  is.  She  is  like  Do  Mussef's  Mar- 
quise— half  fiend,  half  angel." 

"  I  never  heard  of  her,"  interrupted  Duval,  bluntly,  as 
he  produced  a  gold  oval  from  his  pocket;  "but  to  save 
further  description,  look  at  this  picture.  It  was  done  for 
me  by  a  Spanish  fellow  at  Tlatonac." 

Philip  surveyed  the  portrait  in  the  locket  long  and 
earnestly. 

"  Has  Dolores  a  temper,  Jack?" 

"Rather!"  replied  Jack,  laconically;  "  but  what  do  you 
think  of  her?" 

"  She  has  an  exquisite  face,  and,  judging  from   her 


"THE    BOHEMIAN."  45 

mouth,  a  fiery  temper.  I  don't  wonder  yon  are  in  love 
with  her,  Jack.  I  hope  she'll  make  you  a  good  wife." 

"You  seem  rather  doubtful  on  that  point,"  said  Jack, 
half  annoyed,  as  he  restored  the  locket  to  his  waistcoat 
pocket. 

"  No;  but  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I'm  doubtful  of  the 
advisability  of  mixed  marriages  in  the  matter  of  race.  It 
may  be  all  very  well  for  the  offspring,  who,  as  a  rule,  are 
very  clever;  but  the  husband  and  wife,  having  different 
trainings,  do  not  as  a  rule  hit  it  off.  Race  nature  again, 
my  friend." 

"Oh,  as  to  that,"  rejoined  Jack,  equably,  "I  have 
lived  so  long  in  Mexico  and  South  America  that  I  am  half 
Spanish  in  my  habits,  and  so  can  suit  myself  to  Dolores. 
Besides,  when  we  are  married  we  will  stay  in  Span- 
ish America;  it  will  be  more  advisable  than  coming  to 
England." 

"  Yes;  I  agree  with  you  there,"  said  Philip,  lazily;  "in 
fact,  I  think  the  indolent  Creole  life  of  South  America 
would  suit  me  also.  I  also  must  find  an  Indian-Spanish 
spouse.  And  that  reminds  me,  Jack,  that  we  sat  down  to 
discuss  my  marriage  prospects,  whereas  we've  done  noth- 
ing but  talk  about  jours." 

"  Well,  suppose  you  marry  Dona  Eulalia?" 

"What,  have  you  found  me  a  spouse  already?"  cried 
Oassim,  sitting  up,  with  a  ringing  laugh.  "  And  who  is 
Dona  Eulalia?" 

"  The  cousin  of  Dolores,  aud  the  daughter  of  Don 
Miguel." 

"  Is  she  as  beautiful  as  her  cousin?  But  there,  I  needn't 
ask  that.  Of  course  in  your  eyes  no  one  is  so  perfect  as 
Dolores.  Well,  I  will  consider  the  matter  when  I  see 
Eulalia.  It  is  too  important  a  step  to  take  without  due 
consideration." 

"  What  nonsense  you  talk,  Philip." 

"Why  shouldn't  I  talk  nonsense?  Between  you  and 
mo,  Jack,  I  grow  weary,  at  times,  of  very  sensible  people. 
We  won't  discuss  how  that  remark  applies  to  you.  Tell 
rue  how  many  more  members  there  are  of  the  Maraquandc 
family." 

"  Only  a  son,  Don  Rafael." 

"  And  what  does  the  young  hidalgo?" 


46  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

"Re  is  in  the  Cholacacan  navy.  A  very  jolly  young 
fellow  of  twenty-five.  We  are  great  friends.  Then  there 
is  a  Dona  Serafina." 

"  Another  beauty? " 

"  According  to  her  own  idea,  very  much  so,"  replied 
Jack,  dryly.  "She  is  the  old  man's  sister,  and  acts  as 
duenna  to  Dolores  and  Eulalia." 

"  Ah,  an  old  maid.  Good!  We  will  marry  her  to  Peter, 
and  they  can  collect  butterflies  together." 

"  Oh,  Dona  Serafina  would  marry  any  one;  but  why  to 
Peter." 

"  I  don't  know.  Peter  looks  as  if  he  needed  a  wife;  so, 
as  he  won't  choose  one  for  himself,  I  must  do  so  for  him. 
Oh,"  yawned  Philip,  rising  reluctantly  to  his  feet,  "  Avhat 
a  pleasant  talk  we  have  had.  I  suppose  it's  time  we  got 
back  to  the  boat!  Come,  John,  I'll  race  you  to  the  road." 

Nothing  loath,  Jack  accepted  the  challenge  at  once,  and, 
though  Philip  ran  like  a  deer,  succeeded  in  beating  him 
easily. 

"Whew!"  gasped  Cassim,  leaning  breathless  against  a 
fence  which  verged  on  the  highroad.  "You're  one  too 
many  for  me,  Jack.  I  thought  I  was  a  good  runner,  but 
you  can  beat  me." 

"You're  out  of  training.  Too  much  flesh.  Too  soft 
muscles." 

"Well,  I'll  soon  right  all  that  at  Cholacaca,  when  we  run 
from  the  enemy.  Constant  life  on  a  yacht  isn't  a  good 
thing  to  develop  a  fellow's  running  powers." 

They  jumped  lightly  over  the  fence,  and  walked  soberly 
toward  Yarmouth  in  the  gathering  dusk.  The  sun  was 
setting,  and  there  was  a  glory  over  sea  and  land  somewhat 
tempered  by  the  twilight.  The  friends  strolled  comfort- 
ably along,  still  talking.  Indeed,  since  their  meeting  they 
had  done  little  else  but  talk,  more  especially  Philip,  who 
was  not  like  the  same  man.  His  reserve  seemed  to  have 
melted  away  like  dew  before  the  sun  of  D aval's  geniality, 
and  he  was  more  like  the  merry  boy  of  old  than  the 
haughty,  distrustful  man  of  the  present.  The  reason  of 
this  lay  in  the  fact  that  he  felt  he  could  thoroughly  trust 
Jack,  and  it  was  a  great  comfort  to  him  that  there  was  at 
least  one  man  in  the  Avorld  to  whom  he  could  open  his 
heart  unreservedly.  Secretly  he  was  much  astonished  at 


"THE    BOHEMIAN. "  47 

the  pleasure  he  found  in  this  friendship,  and  by  no  means 
displeased,  as  while  in  Jack's  company  the  world  seemed  a 
goodly  place  in  which  to  dwell.  Yet  Duval  was  decidedly 
a  commonplace  young  man,  smart  enough  at  his  business, 
yet  by  no  means  distinguished  for  intellectuality;  withal, 
so  warm-hearted  and  simple-natured  that  Philip  surren- 
dered himself  entirely  to  the  influence  of  this  pleasant 
friendship. 

"You  are  doing  me  no  end  of  good,  Jack/'  he  said,  as 
they  walked  through  the  town.  "  Before  you  came  I  was 
gradually  becoming  a  fossil;  now  I  am  renewing  my  youth." 

"I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it,"  replied  Jack,  simply. 
"  But  indeed.  Philip,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  you  seem  to  be  as 
jolly  as  a  sandboy." 

"  I  wasn't  a  week  ago.  It's  the  sunshine  of  your  happy 
geniality,  Jack.  I  will  stay  with  you  until  the  cure  is  com- 
plete. Then  I  will  see  you  safely  married  to  Dolores,  pre- 
sent you  with  the  opal  stone  as  a  dowry,  and  then — '• 

"And  then!  "  repeated  Jack,  as  his  friend  paused. 

"Then  I  will' take  up  the  old  discontented  life  again." 

"I  won't  let  you  do  that,"  said  Duval,  slipping  his  arm 
within  that  of  Philip's.  "  No;  I  will  cure  you,  as  you  say, 
and  then  you  will  marry  Eulalia." 

"  Humph!     That's  doubtful." 

"  I'm  not  so  sure  about  that,  mi  amigo.  Meanwhile,  I'm 
hungry,  so  let  us  go  on  board  and  have  dinner." 

"Oh,  bathos,"  laughed  Philip,  but  offered  no  opposition 
to  so  sensible  a  suggestion. 

They  sat  up  late  that  night  talking  of  many  things,  but 
principally  about  Dolores  and  Tlatonac.  Jack  gave  his 
friend  a  vivid  description  of  the  Cholacacan  capital,  and 
of  the  life  therein,  all  of  which  was  highly  appreciated  by 
Philip.  The  baronet's  taste  in  existence,  as  in  literature, 
leaned  toward  the  dreamy  and  fantastical,  so  the  languor- 
ous life  of  Spanish  America  in  sleepy  towns,  amid  the 
dilapidated  pomp  of  former  splendors,  appealed  greatly  to 
the  imaginative  side  of  his  nature.  Hitherto  his  visits  to 
these  out-of-the-way  places  had  been  limited  to  a  few  days 
ashore  while  his  yacht  was  anchored  in  the  harbor;  but 
this  time  he  determined  to  take  Jack  for  his  guide,  and 
live  the  life  of  these  strange  people.  It  was  a  dream  of  the 
Orient  in  a  new  world.  The  Arabian  Nights  in  the  west. 


48  THE   HAKLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

Next  morning  they  were  up  early  in  order  to  greet  Tim; 
who  duly  arrived  in  a  state  of  great  excitement.  He  was 
delighted  to  be  once  more  on  the  war-path,  especially  as 
he  was  to  go  through  the  campaign  in  the  company  of  his 
old  school-fellows.  The  business  of  putting  his  luggage 
on  board  took  but  little  time,  as  Tim  did  not  believe  in 
special  correspondents  traveling  with  much  impedimenta. 

"  You  could  have  brought  more  luggage,  if  you  had 
liked/'  said  Philip,  when  they  inspected  Tim's  modest  kit. 

"More!  Haven't  I  got  all  I  want/'  retorted  Tim, 
indignantly.  "  What  would  I  be  stuffing  up  the  boat  with 
rags  for.  A  tooth-brush  and  a  clean  collar  is  all  I  require." 

"Hardly,  if  this  is  going  to  be  a  lengthy  campaign/' 
replied  Philip,  dryly.  "  I  expect  before  the  end  of  the 
voyage  you'll  be  wearing  Peter's  clothes." 

Peter  was  so  small  and  Tim  so  large,  that  the  idea 
struck  the  latter  as  wonderfully  ludicrous,  and  he  sat  down 
to  laugh,  which  he  continued  to  do  until  the  screw  began 
to  beat  the  water.  Then  he  went  on  deck  to  superintend 
the  departure. 

In  due  time  they  arrived  at  Plymouth  without  accident, 
where  they  found  Peter  waiting  with  as  much  luggage  as  a 
bride  would  take  on  her  honeymoon.  It  proved  to  be 
mostly  articles  for  capturing  butterflies,  and  cases  for  pre- 
serving them,  much  to  the  disgust  of  Philip,  who  hated 
his  yacht  to  be  overloaded  with  such  debris.  With  that 
painful  candor  which  prevailed  between  them,  he  told 
Peter  that  he  would  only  take  half;  but  the  meek  doctor 
waxed  indignant,  and  refused  to  go  without  all  these  what 
he  called  "necessaries."  So  in  the  end  Philip  had  to 
give  in. 

Then  The  Bohemian  turned  her  prow  westward,  and 
dipping  her  nose  in  the  salt  brine  followed  in  the  track  of 
Columbus. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


IN  THE  TRACK    OF    COLUMBUS. 

Spread  sails,  out  oars,  the  galley's  beak 

Points  westward  where  the  sunset  dies. 
The  fabled  land  of  gold  v.e  seek, 

Which  glows  beneath  the  tropic  skies — 
A  jeweled  land  of  Paradise; 

The  waters  round  our  prow  are  curled, 
White  foam  bells  streak  their  turquoise  blue, 

We  leave  behind  the  ancient  world, 
To  seek  the  new. 

Spread  sails,  out  oars,  a  path  of  gold 

Streams  from  the  sinking  sun  at  eve, 
As  those  bold  mariners  of  old, 

Again  romances  wild  we  weave, 
Of  splendors  we  would  fain  believe; 

Yon  path  leads  on  to  fairyland, 
Which  glows  within  the  sunset's  heart; 

We  anguish  for  that  magic  strand, 
And  so  depart. 

On  this  occasion  the  Atlantic  Ocean  failed  to  justify  its 
name,  for  The  Bohemian  met  with  little  or  no  bad  weather 
during  her  voyage  to  Cholacaca.  Blue  skies,  blue  seas,  and 
fair  winds,  it  was  an  ideal  cruise,  and  had  it  not  been  neces- 
sary to  reach  Tlatonac  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  Philip 
would  willingly  have  prolonged  this  ocean-tramping  for  an 
indefinite  period.  Jack,  however,  was  anxious  to  see 
Dolores;  the  special  correspondent  looked  forward  eagerly 
to  the  fierce  delights  of  possible  battles,  and  Peter  hank- 
ered after  the  insect  tribes  of  Central  America;  so,  in 
deference  to  their  wishes,  Philip  made  his  yacht  act  well 
up  to  her  reputation  as  a  fast  boat.  The  Bohemian  did 
not  belie  her  fame,  and  made  a  bee-line  straight  for  her 
destination. 

Ignoring  Lisbon,  where  boats  generally  touch  on  their 
way  to  South  America,  the  yacht  held  on  straight  for  the 
Azores,  passed  them  in  the  night,  and  continued  her 
course  to  Cuba,  from  whence  she  could  drop  down  to 

4  (49) 


50  THE   HABLEQUIN    OPAL. 

Tlatonac  in  a  few  days.  She  touched  at  Havana — which 
was  a  trifle  out  of  her  course — at  the  express  request  of 
Jack,  who  had  a  few  commissions  to  fulfill  for  Dolores; 
otherwise  her  nearest  point  of  call  would  have  been  Kings- 
ton, in  the  Island  of  Jamaica. 

Truly  there  are  worse  lots  in  the  world  than  a  lotus- 
eating  existence  on  board  a  crack  yacht,  and  none  of  the 
four  friends  found  the  voyage  too  long  or  too  dull.  Peter 
attended  to  his  entomological  traps;  Tim,  obeying  his 
journalistic  instincts,  made  notes  of  daily  events  for  future 
use,  and  Philip,  in  conjunction  with  his  sailing  master, 
attended  to  the  navigation  of  the  boat.  The  only  idle  per- 
son on  board  was  Jack  Duval,  who  did  nothing  bnt  eat, 
sleep,  drink,  and  think  of  Dolores,  save  when  he  amused 
himself  by  worrying  his  busier  companions. 

Thanks  to  the  powerful  engines  of  The  Bohemian,  and 
the  uniform  speed  at  which  they  were  kept  the  whole  time, 
the  voyage  to  the  Carribean  Sea  was  accomplished  in  a 
wonderfully  short  space  of  time.  Occasionally,  when  the 
bearings  of  the  engines  became  heated  by  constant  friction, 
the  screw  was  stopped  and  the  sails  were  set,  when  the 
yacht,  leaning  slightly  to  one  side,  swirled  through  the 
waters  under  a  cloud  of  canvas.  They  depended  chiefly 
on  steam-power,  however,  and  it  was  rarely  that  the  drum 
of  the  screw  ceased  resounding  through  the  vessel  as  she 
held  on  steadily  westward  in  the  eye  of  the  sunset. 

All  four  friends  had  plenty  to  do  and  plenty  to  talk 
about,  so  managed  to  get  through  the  days  in  a  sufficiently 
pleasant  fashion.  After  dinner,  which  was  the  principal 
event  of  the  twenty-four  hours,  they  sat  on  deck  chatting 
in  the  warm  tropic  nights,  or  else  stayed  in  the  saloon 
listening  to  Philip's  piano-playing  and  Jack's  singing. 
Tim  also  sang  in  a  pleasant  tenor  voice,  and  often  favored 
the  company  with  a  varied  selection  of  ditties,  ranging 
from  pathetic  Irish  melodies  to  the  latest  music-hall  songs 
of  the  clay.  Peter  was  the  most  unmusical  member  of  the 
party,  and,  save  talking,  did  little  else  to  amuse  his 
friends.  It  is  true  that  he  offered  to  give  them  a  lecture 
on  "  lepidopterous  moths,"  but  the  offer  was  promptly 
refused  on  the  score  that  it  would  be  dull.  Peter  could 
not  understand  such  an  adjective  being  applied  to  so 
interesting  a  subject. 


IK  THE  TRACK   OF  COLUMBUS.  51 

It  was  at  one  of  these  symposiums  that  Jack  gave  them 
a  description  of  the  political  situation  in  Cholacaca, 
information  peculiarly  acceptable  to  Tim,  who  was  anxious 
to  be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  local  affairs  of  the 
country.  On  reaching  Tlatonac,  he  wrote  a  capital  article 
embodying  Jack's  information,  and  sent  it  off  at  once  to 
The  Morning  Planet,  in  whose  columns  it  duly  appeared, 
and  gave  the  British  public  an  excellent  idea  of  Don 
Hypolito's  reasons  for  rebelling  against  the  established 
Government  of  the  Eepublic.  Tim's  articles  were  brutally 
plain  and  untempered  by  style. 

The  night  was  warm  and  cloudless.  Westward  the  faint 
after-glow  of  the  sunset;  and  in  the  east  the  slender  cres- 
cent of  the  moon,  low  down  on  the  horizon.  Overhead 
the  constellations,  large  and  mellow,  burned  like  lamps  in 
the  purple  sky,  and  mirrored  their  flashing  points  in  the 
deep,  so  that  the  yacht  cut  her  way  through  a  glittering 
sea  of  planetary  splendors.  The  sails  \vere  all  furled,  and 
a  light  breeze  made  humming  noises  in  the  taut  hemp 
of  the  rigging.  From  the  wide  mouth  of  the  funnel 
floated  a  faint  trail  of  smoke,  and  the  steady  screw,  with 
monotonous  repetition,  throbbed  like  a  beating  heart. 
The  water,  hissing  like  serpents,  streamed  past  the  black 
sides  of  the  boat,  and  at  the  prow  the  white  foam  boiled 
like  a  witch's  caldron,  as  she  rose  and  fell  on  the  heaving 
plain.  It  was  all  wonderfully  charming,  and  the  voyagers 
seated  on  deck  felt  it  to  be  so.  After  a  time  conversation 
ceased,  and  they  remained  silent,  drinking  in  the  beauty 
of  the  night  and  the  infinite  magic  of  the  sea.  Peter, 
unromantic  Peter,  was  the  first  to  break  the  charm  with  a 
commonplace  remark. 

"  I  hope  we  shall  get  fresh  milk  in  Cuba;  I'm  tired  of 
this  Swiss  stuff." 

"The  heathen! "  cried  Tim,  in  a  disgusted  tone;  "he 
thinks  of  nothing  but  his  fat  little  paunch:  Can't  you 
admire  the  works  of  nature,  you  little  dunderhead." 

"'  Well,  I  do  want  fresh  milk,"  urged  Peter,  obstinately. 

"  You  have  no  eye  for  beauty,  Peter,"  said  Jack,  gravely; 
" look  at  the  grandeur  of  the  scene  around  you." 

"It's  very  pretty." 

"Pretty!"  cried  Philip,  laughing.  "I  once  heard  a 
young  lady  call  the  Hallelujah  Chorus  pretty.  You  must 
be  a  relation  of  that  young  lady,  Peter. 


52  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"Of  all  the  adjectives  in  the  English  language/'  said 
Duval,  with  mock  solemnity,  "the  one  I  most  detest  is 
<  pretty." 

"Especially  when  it  is  applied  to  a  certain  damsel, 
whereof  we  wot/'  interjected  Philip,  mischievously;  whereat 
Jack  blushed  and  the  others  laughed. 

"If  Peter  is  so  enthusiastic  over  all  this,"  said  Tim, 
waving  his  hand  to  indicate  the  same,  "what  will  he  say 
when  he  sees  Dona  Serafina?" 

"Bother  Dona  Serafina!"  retorted  the  doctor,  growing 
red.  "  I  wish  you  fellows  would  stop  roasting  me  on  the 
subject." 

"  She  isn't  a  subject,  Peter,  but  an  object.  Forty-five, 
and  as  plain  as  Tim  there." 

"  Is  it  me  you  mean,  Jack?  Why,  I'm  not  bad-looking 
at  all.  I've  had  that  same  on  the  best  female  authority. 
We  can't  all  be  heathen  gods,  like  you  and  Philip." 

"I  object  to  be  compared  to  a  heathen  god,"  said  the 
baronet,  lighting  a  fresh  cigarette.  "  There  is  ugly  Vulcan 
as  well  as  beautiful  Apollo.  Your  compliment  reads  both 
ways,  Tim." 

"  Oh,  the  vanity  of  the  creature!  But  I'm  not  going  to 
pass  compliments,  sir.  No,  it's  my  intention  to  request 
Mister  Duval  to  deliver  a  speech." 

"What  about?"  asked  Jack,  considerably  taken  aback 
at  this  cool  request. 

"On  the  politics  of  Cholacaca.  I  dursn't  neglect  my 
business,  lads,  and  the  first  letter  I  have  to  send  to  my  chief 
is  a  report  of  the  cause  of  this  shindy." 

"  The  information  will  be  useful  to  us  all,"  said  Philip, 
settling  himself  more  comfortably  in  his  chair;  "we  will 
then  know  which  side  to  take,  Don  Miguel's  or  Don 
Hypolito's.  Go  on,  Jack;  and  you,  Peter,  hold  your 
tongue;  interrupt,  and  I'll  give  orders  for  your  removal 
overboard." 

The  doctor  grinned,  and  expressed  his  desire  to  know 
all  that  Jack  had  to  say  on  the  subject;  whereat  Duval, 
without  wasting  any  time,  plunged  at  once  into  the  middle 
of  the  subject. 

"It's  a  difficult  task,"  he  said,  rubbing  his  chin  in  some 
perplexity;  "but  first  you  must  know  the  geography  of 
Cholacaca.  It  has  more  depth  than  breadth,  being  a  strip 


Itf  THE  TRACK    OF   COLUMBUS.  53 

of  country  lying  south  of  Yucatan,  about  four  hundred 
miles  long  and  two  hundred  broad.  Tlatonac,  the  chief 
town,  is  in  the  south,  and  Acauhtzin,  the  second  city,  in 
the  north — about  three  hundred  miles  intervening.  There 
are  other  towns  of  more  or  less  importance  in  the  interior; 
but  the  most  of  Cholacaca  consists  of  dense  forests  inhab- 
ited by  Indians  and  dotted  with  buried  cities." 

"  One  of  which  contains  the  Temple  of  the  Harlequin 
Opal,  I  tsuppose,"  said  Philip,  leisurely. 

"  Yes;  I  have  an  idea  that  the  Temple  of  the  Opal  is  not 
very  far  fi-om  Tlatonac;  but  of  this  I  am  not  sure.  Well, 
to  proceed.  The  country  is  very  mountainous,  and  there 
are  comparatively  few  roads.  I  am  engaged  by  the  Govern- 
ment to  construct  a  railway  to  Acauhtzin." 

"  How  far  have  you  constructed?" 

"Fifty  miled,  or  thereabouts;  and  now  that  this  war  is 
on  the  tapis,  I  expect  the  works  will  have  to  be  abandoned. 
Failing  this  railway,  the  only  way  to  get  to  the  second  cap- 
ital is  by  water.  So,  you  see,  communication  between  the 
two  towns  is  not  so  perfect  as  it  might  be." 

"  And  thus  offers  good  opportunities  to  Don  Hypolito  to 
make  things  nasty  for  the  Government." 

"There's  no  doubt  of  that,  provided  Don  Hypolito  can 
secure  the  allegiance  of  the  navy." 

"  The  navy ! "  said  Peter,  in  surprise.  "  You  don't  mean 
to  say,  Jack,  that  Cholacaca  has  a  navy?  " 

"A  very  good  one,  as  South  American  navies  go.  They 
have  three  war-ships,  named  respectively,  The  Columbus, 
The  Cortes  and  The  Pizarro,  all  first-class  vessels.  The 
Government  has  also  senfc  to  England  for  two  torpedo- 
boats,  which  are  expected  out  shortly." 

"  Then,  if  Don  Hypolito  commands  the  navy,  he  can  do 
what  he  likes." 

"  Not  exactly.  Tlatonac  is  well  fortified,  and  the  war- 
ships would  have  to  keep  well  out  of  the  range  of  the 
guns. " 

"  Any  army  worth  mentioning?" 

"  Yes;  a  capital  army  for  this  part  of  the  world.  Mostly 
Mestizos,  you  know;  and,  if  needs  be,  I  dare  say  the  Gov- 
ernment can  secure  the  forest  Indians  as  their  allies.  Fools 
if  they  do.  No  wise  man  trusts  an  Indian.  That  holds 
good  of  governments  also,  I  take  it." 

4 


64  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"  Judging  from  your  opal  story,"  said  Philip,  reflectively, 
"  it  seems  to  me  that  this  Indian  business  depends  on  the 
stone." 

"No  doubt.  If  Don  Hypolito  secures  Dolores  and  her 
opal,  the  Indians,  out  of  sheer  superstition,  will  side  with 
him  against  the  Government.  In  that  case,  they  are  too 
near  Tlatonac  to  be  pleasant."  . 

"  And  what  are  the  plans  of  this  Don,  if  you  please," 
asked  Tim,  who  was  scribbling  shorthand  notes  in  his 
pocket-book. 

"'Hum!  you'll  have  to  ask  Xuarez  about  those,  and  then 
he  won't  tell  you.  So  far  as  I  can  judge,  he  will  win  over 
the  navy  to  his  side,  establish  his  headquarters  at  Acauhtzin, 
and  make  things  unpleasant  all  round.  With  the  navy  of 
three,  he  can  blockade  Tlatonac." 

"What  about  the  torpedo-boats?" 

"  They,  no  doubt,  are  on  their  way  out  from  England. 
If  the  war-ships  can  stop  them,  they  certainly  will." 

"  Torpedo-boats  are  unpleasant  things  to  handle." 

"  Yes;  I  don't  suppose  the  war-ships  will  try  force. 
Those  in  charge  of  the  two  torpedo-boats  won't  know  of 
the  disaffection  of  the  navy;  so  possibly  their  commander 
will  be  decoyed  on  board  the  ships,  and  the  rebels  can 
place  their  own  men  in  charge  of  the  torpederas." 

"  In  that  case,"  said  Philip,  after  a  pause,  "  it  would  be 
as  well  to  use  this  yacht  to  warn  them  before  they  enter 
the  harbor." 

"  My  dear  Philip,  if  you  tried  on  that  game,  the  rebels 
would  send  a  war-ship  after  you,  and  The  Bohemian  would 
be  knocked  to  bits." 

"  Not  if  she  gets  a  start.  I'll  back  her  speed  against 
the  whole  Cholacacan  navy.  When  The  Bohemian  has  all 
her  furnaces  going,  she  is  like  a  streak  of  greased  light- 
ning." 

"  But,  after  all,"  said  Peter,  yawning,  "  I  don't  see  why 
we  need  anticipate  evil.  Don  Hypolito  may  not  have 
rebelled,  and  the  navy  may  still  be  loyal  to  the  Govern- 
ment." 

"  What!"  cried  Tim,  sticking  his  chin  in  the  air,  "d'ye 
think  I've  come  all  these  miles  to  see  a  flash  in  the  pan. 
If  Don  Hypolito  doesn't  revolt,  I  shall  consider  myself 
deceived.  I  want  war — blood,  red  war,  and  plenty  of  it." 


IN   THE   TEACK    OF   COLUMBUS.  55 

"  Barbaric  wretch!"  said  Philip,  indolently.  "War 
wasn't  invented  to  fill  the  empty  columns  of  your  paper 
during  the  silly  season.  Not  that  I  would  mind  a  war 
myself." 

"  You'll  see  all  that  and  more,"  remarked  Jack,  con- 
fidently. "  Xuarez  is  bent  on  becoming  Dictator  of  the 
Republic,  and  as  President  Gomez  won't  care  about  being 
kicked  out,  it  will  be  a  case  of  war  to  the  knife." 

"  What  kind  of  a  man  is  Xuarez?" 

"He's  like  Napoleon;  a  wonderful  man,  I  can  tell  you. 
You  can  see  from  his  face  that  he  was  born  to  command. 
If  he  gains  the  day  he  won't  be  content  with  playing  at 
Dictator.  Not  he!  He'll  make  himself  Emperor,  estab- 
lish his  capital  in  the  neck  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and 
conquer  South  America.  He  won't  attempt  the  north 
further  than  Mexico,  in  case  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment might  make  it  hot  for  him.  The  Yankees  object  to 
foreign  domination.  Some  people  are  so  particular." 

"  The  New  World  is  not  the  place  for  empires,"  said 
Philip,  decisively.  "  Monarchs  are  at  a  discount  in  the 
Americas.  Maximilian  failed;  Iturbide  failed;  Dom 
Pedro  had  to  leave  Brazil.  No,  Montezuma  was  the  last 
of  the  American  emperors;  there  will  never  be  another." 

"  Don't  prophesy  till  you  know,  Philip.  Don  Hypolito 
is  as  cunning  as  the  devil,  and  as  clever." 

"  I  don't  care  how  clever  he  is.  No  one  can  depend  on 
the  half-baked  lot  that  form  the  population  of  Spanish 
America.  You  have  to  form  a  nation  before  you  can  con- 
struct an  empire." 

"There's  some  truth  in  that." 

"  Still,  if  Xuarez  appeals  to  their  superstition  through 
this  opal,"  said  Peter,  mildly,  "there  will  be — 

"  That  only  counts  with  the  Indians.  The  Mestizos 
and  the  descendants  of  the  Spaniards  won't  be  led  by  such 
child's  play." 

"What  about  the  Church?" 

Jack  flicked  a  spot  of  dust  off  his  coat. 

"The  Church  has  that  much  pOAver  in  Cholacaca  now," 
he  said,  slowly;  "  it's  effete;  it's  worn  out.  The  age  of  the 
Inquisition  is  past." 

"If  Don  Hypolito  does  get  to  be  Lord- Lieutenant," 
asked  Tim,  inquiringly,  "what  will  he  do  for  the  down- 
trodden country?" 


56  THE  HAELEQUIK   OPAL. 

"According  to  his  own  showing,,  everything.  Don't  I 
tell  you  he  wishes  to  found  a  monarchy.  But  when  he's 
got  the  upper  hand  I  question  whether  he'll  do  much, 
save  what  chimes  in  with  his  own  personal  ambition. 
Besides,  Cholacaca  is  going  ahead  now  quite  as  much  as  is 
good  for  it." 

"  That  refers  to  the  railway,  Jack." 

"  Partly,  and  to  other  things  also.  This  railway  will 
open  up  a  lot  of  valuable  country.  It  will  run  through 
from  end  to  end;  from  Janjalla  in  the  south  to  Acauhtzin 
in  the  north.  Then  lines  will  branch  off  here  and  there  to 
the  sea-coast  on  one  side,  to  the  mountains  on  the  other. 
Thus  the  whole  country  will  be  a  network  of  railways, 
bringing  the  population  and  towns  within  trading  distance 
of  one  another/' 

"  All  of  which  visions  are  to  be  realized  by  Jack,"  said 
Peter,  with  mock  sarcasm. 

"Yes,  realized  by  Jack,"  assented  the  engineer,  good- 
humoredly.  "  If  Don  Hypolito  gets  beaten,  and  things  go 
on  as  now,  I  will  have  plenty  of  work." 

"  Much  virtue  in  ' if/"  quoted  Philip,  smiling. 

"It  is  certainly  difficult  to  foresee  the  end.  Still. 
Gomez  has  the  army." 

"And  Don  Hypolito  has  the  navy.  It's  pretty  even,  I 
think." 

"The  combat  will  be  decided  by  us  four,"  said  Tim, 
conceitedly,  "  and  we'll  fight  on  the  side  of  Jack's  choosing. " 

"Then  we  will  assist  the  Government.  I  don't  want  to 
help  Xuarez  to  marry  Dolores,  and  get  the  Harlequin 
Opal." 

"  It's  my  opinion  that  the  war  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  Harlequin  Opal,"  said  Peter,  decisively.  "  If  the 
Indians  have  got  it,  the  Indians  will  keep  it." 

"Unless  I'm  within  stealing  distance  of  it,"  replied 
Jack,  promptly.  "  No;  whatever  comes  and  goes,  I'm 
determined  to  get  that  opal.  It  belongs  to  Dolores." 

"And  Dolores  belongs  to  you.  You  are  an  unselfish 
person,  Jack." 

Duval  laughed  good-humoredly  at  Philip's  mild  protes- 
tation, and  began  to  talk  of  other  things.  Tim  went 
down  to  the  saloon  to  arrange  his  notes;  Peter  turned  in, 
and  the  symposium  broke  up  without  further  conversation . 


IN  THE   TRACK    OF   COLUMBUS.  57 

This  is  only  a  sample  of  the  many  talks  they  had  on  the 
subject  of  Cholacaca.  The  information  supplied  by  Jack- 
was  useful,  as  it  showed  his  three  companions  plainly  how 
matters  stood.  On  their  arrival  at  Tlatonac,  they  were 
thus  well  acquainted  with  the  causes  of  the  war,  and  could 
follow  future  developments  with  great  interest.  And  whc^i 
this  last  conversation  took  place,  Tlatonac  was  not  far  off. 

After  leaving  Havana,  where  they  only  stayed  a  few 
hours  for  a  run  ashore,  the  yacht  dropped  down  toward  the 
Bay  of  Honduras,  and  drew  steadily  toward  their  destina- 
tion. The  nearer  they  came,  the  more  excited  did  Jack 
become  at  the  prospect  of  seeing  Dolores  once  more.  Asa 
rule,  the  young  engineer  was  a  steady,  cool-headed  fellow; 
but  this  love  had  upset  his  brain,  and  he  was  as  love-sick 
and  inconsequent  as  any  raw  lad.  Amused  at  this  specta- 
cle, Philip  did  his  best  to  restrain  Jack's  impatience,  aiid 
kept  the  engines  at  full  speed  so  that  the  lover  might  the 
sooner  arrive  within  kissing  distance  of  his  beloved. 

Within  the  circle  of  the  Indian  isles  the  heat  grew 
almost  unbearable.  Blue  sea,  blue  sky,  and  the  burning 
eye  of  the  sun  grilling  them  constantly  during  the  day. 
When  the  west  flared  red  with  his  setting,  and  the  waters 
heaved  in  billows  of  crimson,  they  were  glad  to  welcome 
the  cool  night  with  serene  moon  and  chilly,  gleaming  stars. 
The  pitch  bubbled  sluggishly  in  the  seams  of  the  deck,  the 
brasses  burned  like  fire  when  touched  by  an  incautious  hand, 
and  the  very  air  was  tremulous  with  the  heat.  In  vain, 
with  linen  suits,  solar  topees,  and  constant  keeping  in  the 
shade,  they  endeavored  to  find  coolness;  the  sun  found 
them  out,  and  baked  them  with  his  fierce  rays  till  they 
were  half  dead  with  exhaustion.  The  heat  did  not  brown 
them  as  is  customary  in  more  temperate  climes,  but  simply 
squeezed  all  the  life  out  of  their  poor  bodies  until  they 
waxed  so  indolent  that  they  did  nothing  but  lie  about  in 
shady  corners  all  day,  longing  for  the  night.  Even  Peter 
abandoned  his  entomology;  so,  from  such  sacrifice,  must 
the  intense  heat  be  judged. 

Tim  was  a  perfect  god-send  in  those  glowing  days  of 
heat  and  thirst.  He  was  skillful  at  preparing  drinks,  and 
concocted  beverages  which  enabled  them  to  hold  out  dur- 
ing twelve  hours  of  incessant  sun-glare.  Occasionally  they 
passed  an  island  covered  with  masses  of  palm,  cactus,  and 


58  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

aloes,  and  sometimes  a  distant  ship  arose  and  fell  against 
the  line  of  the  horizon;  but  they  were  too  indolent  to 
trouble  about  such  trifles.  It  was  nothing  but  eternal  sun- 
shine and  eternal  heat.  But  all  things  must  come  to  an 
end,  and  so  did  this  voyage. 

"To-morrow,"  said  Philip,  thankfully,  as  he  broiled  in 
the  shade,  "to-morrow  we  will  sight  British  Honduras. 
Then  Tlatonac  won't  be  far  off." 

"  Perhaps  it  will  be  worse  on  shore  than  at  sea,"  sighed 
Peter,  mopping  his  bald  head  with  a  red  silk  pocket-hand- 
kerchief. "Why,  if- 

"For  Heaven's  sake,  Peter,  throw  that  handkerchief 
overboard,"  cried  Jack,  irritably;  "the  very  color  makes 
me  hot." 

"But  it's  silk!" 

' '  I  don't  care  what  it  is.  It's  red,  and  that's  enough  for 
me." 

"  Don't  lose  your  temper,  Jack!  "  said  Tim,  soothingly. 
"  Vamos  a  tomar  las  once." 

This  Spanish  phrase,  meaning  "  Let  us  go  and  take  the 
eleven,"  was  introduced  by  Jack,  and  referred  to  "aguar- 
diente" (brandy),  which  has  eleven  letters.  It  was  in  con- 
stant use,  and  when  the  familiar  sound  struck  on  their  ears, 
Philip  and  Peter  lifted  their  heads  anxiously.  It  is  but 
fair  to  state,  however,  that  in  the  sense  in  which  the  saying 
was  used  on  board  the  yacht,  it  referred  to  lemon  squash, 
which  also  has  that  number  of  letters. 

"  I'll  take  one  if  you  prepare  it." 

"Carambo!"  said  Tim,  viciously.  "I  won't.  Make 
one  yourself.  I'm  not  a  bartender." 

"Tim's  getting  up  his  Spanish  for  the  ladies,"  mur- 
mured Philip,  lazily. 

"  If  he  greets  them  with  carambo,  he'll  be  slung  out  of 
Tlatonac,"  retorted  Jack,  who  frequently  indulged  in 
American  slang. 

"Oh,  I  also  know  how  to  make  love  in  Spanish,"  said 
the  Irishman,  bluntly.  "  El  hombre  prevenido  nunca  f  lie" 
vencido." 

"Oh,  shut  up!" 

* '  What  does  that  mean  ? "  asked  Peter,  who  was  pro- 
foundly ignorant  of  the  Castilian  tongue. 

"  It  means  '  The  prepared  man  is  never  conquered/  you 


IN  THE   TRACK   OF   COLUMBUS.  59 

ignorant  creature.  Peter,  you'll  have  to  learn  Spanish,  if 
only  to  flirt  with  old  Serailna." 

Peter  deliberately  arose  from  his  chair,  and  walked  down 
to  the  saloon. 

"  That's  Peter's  way  of  remonstrating,'"  said  Jack,  smil- 
ing. "It's  hot  here;  we  had  better  follow  his  example." 

They  did,  and  in  a  remarkably  short  space  of  time  were 
fast  asleep.  The  siesta  had  also  been  introduced  by  Jack 
with  such  success  that  they  slept  all  day  and  sat  up  all 
night,  when  it  was  cool.  It  was  the  only  way  they  had  of 
making  life  bearable. 

The  next  morning  they  were  within  sight  of  Tlatonac. 
A  long,  low  line  of  sand  appeared  in  the  distance,  topped 
here  and  there  with  a  slender  palm.  As  they  drew  nearer, 
they  saw  the  frowning  walls  of  the  forts  rising  above  the 
waters,  and  beyond,  on  a  hill,  the  red-roofed  houses  of 
the  city.  Above  all,  the  slender  towers  and  high  dome  of 
the  cathedral. 

"  Hullo! "  said  Jack,  noting  the  absence  of  the  war-ships. 
"No  navy!  This  looks  ominous." 

"  Do  you  think  war  has  begun?"  asked  Peter,  turning 
round  in  dismay. 

"  Lord  knows!     It  looks  like  it." 

"  Well,  at  all  events,  the  war- ships  can't  hurt  us  now," 
said  Philip;  "  we  are  under  the  guns  of  the  forts." 

From  the  central  part  of  the  forts  a  long  wharf  shot  into 
the  blue  waters.  The  bay  was  covered  with  boats;  intensely 
green  vegetation  clothed  the  shores,  and  the  white  walls  of 
the  forts  glistened  like  silver  in  the  blazing  sunlight. 
And  this  was  Tlatonac. 

"A  most  exposed  situation,"  said  Philip,  thinking  of 
the  war.  "  If  the  war-ships  start  shelling  those  red  roofs 
there  won't  be  much  of  them  left." 

He  addressed  Jack;  but  that  young  man  did  not  reply. 
He  was  thinking  of  Dolores.  Philip  turned  toward  Peter; 
but  the  doctor's  mental  eye  was  fixed  on  clouds  of  gor- 
geous butterflies.  Tim! 

"I'd  like  to  see  a  naval  combat  in  this  bay,"  said  Tim, 
gravely,  "with  war-ships  and  torpedoes." 

"Three  monomaniacs,"  said  Philip,  rising.  "War, 
butterflies,  and  Dolores.  We'd  better  go  ashore  now,  lads. 
I'm  tired  of  those  three  subjects." 


CHAPTER  V. 

DON   MIGUEL   IS   COMMUNICATIVE. 

Why,  look  you,  Sefior,  thus  the  matter  stands: 

When  one  is  in  a  country  dangerous, 

And  night  is  round  him  ever)' where,  'tis  wise 

To  venture  nothing  till  the  mo,  uing's  light, 

Lest,  in  the  dark,  some  hidden  pitfall  lurk. 

Thus  stands  our  fortune.     Traitors  full  of  guile 

Are  in  our  midst,  yet,  keeping  quiet  their  plans, 

Would  gull  us  into  false  security. 

We  know  not  where  to  strike;  for  here   and  here, 

Danger  may  lurk,  and  yet  we  dare  not  strike. 

The  house  of  Don  Miguel  Maraquando  Avas  situate  on 
one  side  of  the  Plaza  de  los  liombres  Ilustres,  opposite  to 
the  cathedral,  and  near  the  Calle  Otumba.  Like  the  gen- 
erality of  Mexican  mansions,  it  was  built  in  the  Hispauo- 
Moriscan  fashion — a  style  of  architecture  peculiarly  adapted 
to  this  equatorial  climule.  Walls  of  massive  stone,  impen- 
etrable to  heat,  surrounded  a  patio  paved  with  variegated 
tiles  and  brilliant  with  tropical  flowers.  From  this  patio 
doors  opened  into  the  various  rooms  of  the  house,  while 
above  were  ranges  of  sleeping-chambers  fronted  by  a  light 
iron-railed  balcony  running  round  all  four  sides  of  the 
court-yard.  The  roof — generally  called  the  azotea — was 
flat,  and  in  many  houses  is  used  for  family  gatherings  in 
the  warm  nights  or  during  a  temperate  day.  In  this  case, 
however,  the  Maraquando  family  made  use  of  the  patio, 
where  tho  heat,  particularly  at  noon,  was  not  so  great. 

It  was  a  charming  spot,  cool,  bright,  and  airy,  with 
plenty  of  brilliant-blossomed  flowers  standing  round  the 
sides  in  red,  porous  jars,  and  vividly  green  creepers  which 
twisted  round  the  squat  pillars  and  clambered  to  the  sun- 
light by  the  ladder  of  the  balconies.  An  old  Aztec  sacri- 
ficial stone,  carved  with  ugly  gods,  occupied  the  center  of 
the  court,  and  here  and  there  appeared  misshapen  statues 
of  the  same  grotesque  deities.  A  light  awning,  gaily 
striped  with  red  and  white,  made  the  patio  shady,  and 

(60) 


DON   MIGUEL   IS   COMMUNICATIVE.  61 

beneath  this  were  cane  chairs  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  lazy  and  small  tables  on  which  to  place  refreshments. 
It  was  a  veritable  castle  of  indolence;  grateful  to  day- 
dreamers,  and,  as  such,  peculiarly  acceptable  to  the  Chola- 
cacans,  who  are  the  least  industrious  people  on  this  planet. 

Outside,  the  mansion,  with  its  massive  doors  and  iron 
rejas,  presented  a  gloomy  and  forbidding  appearance,  more 
like  a  prison  than  a  dwelling-house.  On  entering  the 
door,  however,  and  passing  through  the  dim  zaguan,  the 
internal  cheerfulness  of  the  patio  was  accentuated  by  the 
dullness  without.  Indeed,  the  sadden  emergence  into  the 
light  was  somewhat  bewildering,  as  with  blue  sky  above 
and  flower-decorated  patio  below,  it  was  some  time  before 
the  eye  became  accustomed  to  the  blinding  brilliance  of  the 
whole.  Graceful  architecture,  hideous  idols,  the  splendor 
of  floral  treasures,  and  silver  glitter  of  the  walls,  the  patio 
was  a  most  charming  spot,  and  eminently  calculated  to 
make  life  in  this  tropical  zone  remarkably  pleasant. 

Into  this  city  paradise  created  by  the  hand  of  man,  Jack 
introduced  his  friends,  and  formally  presented  them  to 
Don  Miguel,  Jefc  Politico  of  Tlatouac,  who,  having  been 
informed  of  their  arrival,  awaited  them  in  his  patio 
according  to  the  etiquette  of  the  country.  He  was  tall 
and  lean  and  diy,  with  a  most  astonishing  resemblance  to 
Don  Quixote  as  delineated  by  the  pencil  of  Dore.  For 
coolness,  he  wore  a  white  linen  suit,  and  shaded  his  aus- 
tere face  with  a  broad -brimmed  sombrero,  which  latter  he 
removed  with  infinite  grace  on  the  appearance  of  the 
Englishmen. 

"Welcome,  gentlemen,  to  Tlatonac,"  he  said,  majestic- 
ally, in  Spanish;  "  my  house  and  all  therein  is  at  your 
disposal." 

After  this  hospitable  greeting,  he  insisted  that  they 
should  seat  themselves  in  order  to  partake  of  some  light 
refreshment.  They  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  assuring 
him  that  they  were  not  hungry,  as  indeed  they  had  just 
finished  breakfast  before  leaving  the  yacht.  Ultimately, 
in  order  not  to  offend  their  courteous  host,  they  accepted 
some  pulque,  the  national  beverage  of  Mexico,  and  were 
sorry  for  the  concession.  Jack  was  used  to  the  drink,  and 
professed  to  like  it;  but  the  others  pronounced  it  beastly. 
Those  who  have  tried  pulque  for  the  first  time  will  heartily 
indorse  this  opinion. 


62  THE   HAELEQUIN   OPAL. 

"Oh,  oh!"  spluttered  Peter,  trying  to  conceal  his  dis- 
taste from  their  host,  "  it's  like  bad  buttermilk." 

"What  would  I  not  give  for  a  glass  of  whisky!  'Tis 
pig-wash,  this  same." 

"  It  is  certainly  not  the  milk  of  Paradise,"  said  Philip, 
in  disgust. 

Don  Miguel  had  retired  for  a  moment  in  search  of 
cigars  for  the  party,  so  they  could  express  themselves 
freely  to  Jack.  They  took  full  advantage  of  the  oppor- 
tunity. 

"The  Mexicans  say  the  angels  in  heaven  prefer  it  to 
wine,"  said  Jack,  who  had  finished  his  glass  with  great 
gusto.  "  They  have  a  proverb: 

"  Lo  beben,  los  augeles 
En  vez  de  vino." 

"  I  can't  say  much  for  the  angels'  taste,  then,"  retorted 
Philip,  crossly.  "Nastier  stuff  I  never  drank.  Raki  is 
bad  enough,  but  it's  nectar  compared  with  pulque." 

Jack  laughed  heartily  at  the  wry  faces  made  by  his 
friends,  and  comforted  them  after  the  manner  of  Job's 
acquaintances. 

"You'll  have  to  drink  it,  however.  Don  Miguel  will  be 
offended  if  you  do  not." 

They  all  promptly  poured  the  liquor  into  some  of  the 
flower-bearing  jars  which  happened,  fortunately  enough, 
to  be  handy. 

"There,"  said  Peter,  triumphantly,  "he'll  think  we 
have  finished  it." 

"I'll  bring  a  pocket-pistol  next  time,"  said  Tim, 
gloomily.  "I'll  be  having  the  cholera  with  this  stuff." 

"  Hush!  here  is  Don  Miguel." 

Their  host  returned  Avith  a  good  supply  of  cigars, 
which  found  much  more  acceptance  than  the  pulque. 
Maraquando  expressed  great  surprise  that  Peter  did  not 
smoke. 

"AVhat  docs  he  say?"  asked  Peter,  wofully  ignorant  of 
Spanish. 

"That  you  ought  to  smoke." 

Peter  shook  his  head  in  disgust. 

"  Tell  Don  Miguel  tobacco  is  slow  poison." 

Maraquando  laughed  when  this  was  translated  to  him. 


DON   MIGUEL   IS   COMMUNICATIVE.  63 

"It  must  be  very  slow,  Senor,"  he  said,  smiling.  "I 
have  smoked  for  forty  years,  and  yet  the  poison  has  not 
overtaken  me  as  yet/' 

All  laughed  at  this  speech  save  Peter,  who  could  not 
appreciate  jokes  in  the  tongue  of  Castile.  Indeed,  he 
began  to  find  his  ignorance  of  Spanish  somewhat  annoying, 
as  his  friends,  who  acted  as  interpreters,  played  tricks  on 
him.  He  became  proficient  in  the  tongue  when  Dona 
Serafina  took  him  in  hand;  but  that  was  many  weeks  later. 

"  All  this  time  Jack  was  wondering  why  Dolores  did  not 
appear  to  welcome  him  back.  As  it  was  not  etiquette  to 
ask  directly  for  the  ladies  of  the  family,  he  made  the 
inquiry  in  a  roundabout  way. 

"Your  family,  I  trust,  are  well,  Senor?" 

' '  They  are  in  excellent  health,  I  thank  you,  Senor  Juan. 
At  present  I  have  but  my  daughter  with  me.  Dona  Sera- 
fina  and  Dolores  are  staying  for  a  few  days  at  my  estancio." 

This  was  bad  news  for  Jack;  but  as  Don  Miguel's  eyes 
were  fixed  inquiringly  on  his  face,  he  was  forced  to  dissem- 
ble his  sorrow. 

"And  Don  Rafael?" 

"Is  at  present  with  his  ship  at  Acauhtzin." 

"What!  with  Don  Hypolito?" 

The  expression  on  Maraquando's  face  changed,  and  he 
seemed  about  to  burst  out  into  a  furious  speech;  but  out 
of  courtesy  restrained  himself  for  the  present. 

"We  will  talk  of  this  again/'  he  said,  gravely.  "I  am 
sure  you  do  not  care  about  our  politics." 

"Indeed  we  do/'  replied  Jack,  emphatically.  "This 
gentleman,"  indicating  Tim,  "is  a  special  correspond- 
ent, sent  here  by  a  great  English  paper  to  report  on  your 
war." 

"Our  war!"  echoed  the  Spaniard,  with  some  surprise. 
" How  do  you  know  there  is  to  be  a  war?" 

"The  telegrams  to  Europe  say  as  much/'  interposed 
Tim,  speaking  in  Spanish. 

"Telegrams  sent  by  Don  Hypolito,  I  have  no  doubt," 
responded  Maraquando,  grimly.  "  There  will  be  no  war, 
gentlemen." 

"  Cardmba!  Sacre!  Damn!"  ejaculated  Tim,  who 
ewore  fluently  in  all  three  languages.  "I  have  been 
tricked,  then?" 


64  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  Wait  a  moment,  Senor  Corresponsal.  You  will  have 
plenty  to  write  about;  I  will  tell  you.  some  astonishing 
ne\vs  shortly.  Meanwhile,  I  must  present  you  to  my 
daughter,  Dona  Eulalia." 

The  girl  who  appeared  at  this  moment  caused  them  all 
to  rise  to  their  feet,  and  assuredly  a  more  beautiful  vision 
could  not  be  seen  anywhere.  She  was  a  little  sparkling 
brunette,  all  eyes  and  smiles  (as  Tim  afterward  phrased  it), 
and  when  she  beheld  Jack,  came  forward  eagerly  to  greet 
him  with  outstretched  hand. 

"  Senor  Juan/'  she  said,  in  a  deliciously  sweet  voice, 
"you  have  returned.  Ah,  how  sorry  Dol — Dona  Serafina 
will  be  that  she  is  not  here  to  greejb  you." 

She  gave  a  side  glance  at  her  father  on  pronouncing  the 
name  of  Dona  Serafina;  and  by  that  diplomatic  substitu- 
tion Philip  guessed  that  she  was  in  the  secret  of  the 
lovers. 

"I  trust  Dona  Serafina  will  return  soon,  Seiiora,"  said 
Jack,  significantly,  after  exchanging  courtesies.  "I  am 
anxious  to  see  Dona  Serafina." 

Eulalia  put  her  black  fan  up  to  hide  the  smile  on  her 
lips,  and  intimated  that  she  expected  her  aunt  back  on  the 
morrow.  Nothing  was  said  of  Dolores;  but  Jack  was  not 
so  dull  a  lover  as  not  to  know  that  in  this  case  the  less 
Serafina  included  the  greater  Dolores.  Meanwhile,  neither 
Tim  nor  Philip  could  keep  their  eyes  off  this  Spanish 
beauty,  and  Don  Miguel  graciously  presented  them  to  his 
daughter.  As  for  Peter,  he  was  examining  an  ugly  clay 
god  at  the  other  end  of  the'  court,  which  showed  that  he 
had  no  eye  for  beauty. 

"  At  your  feet,  lady,"  said  Philip,  in  his  best  Castilian. 

"My  hands  for  your  kisses,  Senor,"  she  responded, 
coquettishly;  whereat  the  baronet  experienced  a  strange 
feeling  about  the  region  of  his  heart. 

"  Oh,  Lord,  Lord!  "  he  muttered,  as  Tim  was  executing 
court  bows  to  the  lady.  "Great  Heaven!  this  can  not  be 
love  at  first  sight.  It  must  be  the  pulque." 

Ho  caught  Jack's  eye  at  this  moment,  and  saw  a  derisive 
smile  on  that  young  man's  lips,  whereat  he  smiled  also,  as 
if  to  intimate  that  he  thought  but  little  of  the  dainty 
beauty.  Jack  knew  better,  however.  Then  Peter  was 
torn  away  from  his  Aztec  deity,  and  presented  in  due  form, 


DON   MIGUEL   IS    COMMUNICATIVE.  65 

making  use,  at  the  introduction,  of  all  the  Spanish  of 
which  he  was  master. 

"Bueno!  Bueno!"  quoth  Peter,  in  perplexity;  when 
Philip  came  to  his  rescue. 

"Say  fa  los  pies  de  usted,  Senora/  "  he  whispered, 
quickly. 

"  I  can't  remember  all  that/'  protested  the  doctor. 

"  Try." 

"A  los  pres  ud  worsted! " 

Dona  Eulalia  put  up  her  fan  at  the  sound  of  Peter's 
Spanish;  but  understanding  the  drift  of  his  remark, 
replied  gravely  enough: 

'  Bese  usted  los  manos,  Senor." 
'What's  that,  Philip?" 
'  My  hands  for  your  kisses,  Senor." 
Will  I  have  to  kiss  them  ?  "  asked  Peter,  in  dismay. 
No;  it's  only  a  matter  of  form/' 

At  this  assurance  the  doctor  was  much  relieved,  and 
not  feeling  any  profound  interest  in  a  dialogue  carried  on 
completely  in  a  foreign  tongue,  returned  to  his  examina- 
tion of  the  Aztec  gods.  Maraquando  was  already  deep 
in  conversation  with  Jack  and  Tim,  so  Philip  had  Dona 
Eulalia  all  to  himself,  and  made  good  use  of  this  solitude 
of  two.  He  was  glad  he  knew  Spanish.  'Tis  a  pleasant 
language  in  which  to  talk  gay  nonsense. 

On  her  side,  Eulalia  had  no  strong  objection  to  the  com- 
pany of  this  eccentric  American — all  foreigners  are  Amer- 
icans with  the  Cholacacans;  and  though  he  was  a  heretic, 
yet  he  spoke  Spanish  beautifully,  and  had  no  lack  of  pretty 
sayings  at  his  command.  Doila  Eulalia  would  have  flirted 
with  a  Lepero  in  default  of  anything  better;  and  as  Don 
Felipe  was  a  most  desirable  young  man  from  every  point 
of  view,  she  lost  no  time  in  making  herself  agreeable. 
Philip,  the  cynic,  enjoyed  it  greatly,  thereby  proving  that 
a  considerable  portion  of  his  misogamy  was  humbug. 
With  the  hour  comes  the  eternal  feminine.  This  was  the 
hour — Eulalia  the  woman.  It  flashed  across  Philip's  mind 
at  that  moment  that  he  was  playing  with  fire.  Confident 
in  his  own  imperviousness  to  fire,  he  went  on  playing. 
Then  he  fell,  and  great  was  the  fall  thereof. 

"I  always  understood/'  said  Cassim  to  his  charming 
companion,    "that  Cholacacan  ladies  were  shut  up  like 
nuns." 
5 


66  THE   HABLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  A  great  many  of  them  are,  Sefior,"  replied  Eulalia, 
demurely;  "but  my  father  is  more  liberal  in  his  ideas. 
He  delights  in  presenting  us  to  his  friends/' 

"How  charming  for  the  friends." 

'•  And  how  delightful  for  us  poor  women.  I  assure 
you,  Seiior,  that  I  would  not  care  to  be  shut  up  at  all; 
neither  would  my  cousin  Dolores ! " 

"  I  have  heard  of  Doiia  Dolores  from  Jack! " 

Eulalia  flashed  a  glance  at  him  from  her  glorious  dark 
eyes,  bit  the  top  of  her  fan,  and  made  an  irrelevant  obser- 
vation. 

"  My  cousin  admires  fair  people." 

"And  Don  Juan  is  fair.  Oh,  never  fear,  Senora,  I 
know  all." 

"All  what,  Don  Felipe?" 

"All  about  fair  people!"  replied  Philip,  skillfully; 
"  though  for  my  part  I  prefer  dark  ladies." 

This  last  remark  was  too  much  even  for  the  audacious 
coquetry  of  Eulalia,  and  she,  glancing  uneasily  at  her  father, 
turned  the  conversation  with  a  dexterity  begotten  by  long 
practice. 

"  My  aunt,  Dona  Serafina,  is  dark.  She  is  our  duenna, 
you  know.  I  am  sure  you  will  find  her  very  charming. " 

"Oh,  certainly,  Senora,  on  your  recommendation  I — " 

"  And  Tlatonac  is  charming,  also,"  interposed  the  lady, 
smartly.  "  Do  you  stay  long  here,  Senor?" 

"  That  depends,  shall  we  say,  on  Senor  Duval." 

His  intention  was  to  hint  Dolores;  but  Dona  Eulalia 
evidently  thought  the  acquaintanceship  was  becoming  too 
intimate,  and  intrenched  herself  behind  her  fan  and  a 
smile. 

"  Rather  does  it  depend  on  Don  Hypolito." 

"  Ah!  is  there,  then,  to  be  a  war?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  Senor.  My  father  thinks  it  likely.  If 
there  is,  of  course  you  will  go?  " 

"No!  Why  should  I?  Tlatonac  has  many  attractions 
for  me." 

"My  father  will  show  you  all  over  it  to-morrow," 
rejoined  Eulalia,  with  a  mischievous  smile.  She  knew  quite 
well  what  he  meant,  but  was  not  going  to  betray  such 
knowledge  at  such  an  early  period  of  her  acquaintance. 
The  proprieties  must  be  observed,  even  in  Oholacaca.  Mrs. 


DON  MIGUEL  IS   COMMUNICATIVE.  67 

G-rundy  is  not  indigenous  to  Britain  only.     She  nourished 
at  Tlatonac  under  the  name  of  Dona  Serafina. 
'  You  came  in  a  steamer,  did  you  not,  Senor?" 
1  Yes;  in  my  yacht,  The  Bohemian." 
(  Your  vessel,  Sefior?  " 
1  Yes." 

Eulalie  opened  her  eyes.  This  Americano  must  be  very 
rich  to  own  the  boat  she  had  seen  steaming  into  the  har- 
bor. But,  then,  all  Americanos  were  rich;  though  not  all 
so  nice  as  this  one. 

"  You  must  do  me  the  honor  of  coming  on  board, 
Senora,"  said  Philip,  eagerly.  Then,  seeing  her  draw 
back  in  alarm  at  this  audacious  proposal,  "  Of  course,  with 
Don  Miguel  and  Doila  Serafina.  Likewise  your  cousin. 
My  friend  Don  Juan  is  anxious  to  see  Doila  Dolores." 

"Hush,  Sefior!"  said  Eulalia,  quickly,  glancing  toward 
her  father;  "it  is  a  secret.  Do  not  speak  of  it  now;  but 
let  us  talk  to  the  Senor  yonder  with  the  spectacles." 

"  He  can  not  talk  Spanish." 

"  Oh  yes,  he  can,  Senor,  I  heard  him." 

She  burst  out  into  a  merry  laugh,  and  went  toward 
Peter,  followed  by  the  reluctant  Cassim.  Philip  was  get- 
ting on  excellently  well,  and  rather  resented  the  introduc- 
tion of  a  third  person  into  the  conversation,  even  though 
it  was  but  harmless  Peter.  That  gentleman  would  much 
rather  have  been  left  alone  to  potter  about  the  patio  by 
himself;  but  Dona  Eulalia,  who  saw  his  embarrassment, 
wickedly  made  him  attempt  Spanish,  much  to  his  discom- 
fiture. Philip  translated  his  compliments  to  Eulalia, 
whereon  she  smiled  so  graciously  on  the  little  man  that 
the  baronet  grew  restless,  and  Peter  began  to  think  there 
were  other  things  in  the  world  besides  butterflies. 

Meanwhile  Don  Miguel  was  having  an  interesting  con- 
versation with  Tim  and  Jack  concerning  the  state  of  affairs 
prevalent  at  Tlatonac.  He  was  much  flattered  at  the  idea 
that  a  "grandiario"  of  England  should  take  such  an 
interest  in  Central  American  politics,  and  paid  Tim,  as 
the  Senor  Corresponsal,  such  attention  that  Jack  began 
to  wish  he  were  in  the  Irishman's  shoes.  He  would  then 
have  a  better  chance  of  Dolores.  As  for  Tim  he  discoursed 
blandly,  quite  unaware  of  the  honors  being  showered  on 
him,  and  when  his  Spanish  failed  took  refuge  in  French; 


68  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

when  that  gave  out  he  supplied  his  wants  with  Italian,  so 
that  his  conversation  savored  of  the  Tower  of  Babel  and 
the  confusion  of  tongues.  However,  with  Jack's  assistance 
he  managed  to  get  along  capitally,  and  gained  a  good  deal 
of  useful  information  from  the  Jefe  Politico.  Don  Miguel 
himself  was  most  eloquent  on  the  subject,  and  particularly 
rabid  against  Xuarez,  whom  he  seemed  to  hate  as  only  a 
Spaniard  can  hate.  Doctor  Johnson  liked  a  good  hater. 
He  should  have  met  Don  Miguel. 

"Don  H}rpolito  is  a  dangerous  man,  gentlemen/'  he 
said,  with  a  cold  malignity;  "he  wishes  to  become  Presi- 
dent of  the  Republic." 

"And  why  should  he  not  become  President?"  asked 
Tim,  calmly. 

"Because  he  would  use  his  position  to  destroy  the 
Constitution  of  Cholacaca.  We  have  not  forgotten 
Iturbide  and  Doctor  Francia.  Cholacaca  shall  never  lie 
at  the  mercy  of  a  tyrant,  as  did  Mexico  and  Paraguay. 
No,  gentlemen.  It  was  not  for  such  an  end  that  we  threw 
off  the  yoke  of  Spain.  Republicans  we  are,  Republicans 
we  will  be.  If  Don  Hypolito  succeeds  he  will  find 
Tlatonac  in  ruins." 

"I  don't  think  that  will  stop  him,  Senor,"  said  Jack, 
lightly.  "  If  he  ruins  the  old  Tlatonac  he  can  build  up  a 
new  one." 

"Not  with  peons  and  Indians,"  retorted  Maraquando, 
fiercely.  "We,  Senor,  are  Spaniards,  and  will  submit  to 
the  tyranny  of  no  man,  much  less  this  Mestizo  of  a 
Xuarez." 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  do,  Don  Miguel?  " 

"  The  Junta  has  already  decided  that.  Don  Hypolito 
is  to  be  arrested,  brought  here  for  trial,  and  banished  from 
the  country." 

"I  don't  see  how  you  are  going  to  capture  him  at 
Acauhtziu.  It  is  the  headquarters  of  his  party." 

Maraquando  smiled  grimly,  and  waved  his  hand  con- 
temptuously. 

"Xuarez  has  no  party.  A  few  unimportant  estancieros 
believe  in  him,  certainly;  bat  the  whole  population  of 
Tlatonac  is  in  favor  of  the  Government." 

"But  not  the  whole  population  of  Cholacaca,"  said 
Duval,  significantly. 


DON   MIGUEL  IS   COMMUNICATIVE.  fiO 

"  That  is  no  matter.  The  Government  holds  Tlatonac, 
and  therefore  has  all  the  power  in  its  own  hands.  Acauht- 
zin!  a  mere  village,  whose  adherence  can  do  Xuarez  no 
good." 

"  But  if  it  comes  to  war?  " 

"  It  will  not  come  to  war,  Senor  Corresponsal.  The  fleet 
has  gone  to  Acauhtzin  to  arrest  Xuarez,  and  bring  him 
here  for  trial." 

"  They  won't  do  that  easily." 

Don  Miguel  laughed  in  a  saturnine  sort  of  manner,  and 
pulled  his  mustache  savagely. 

"  And  why  not,  Senor  ?  "  said  he,  slowly.  "  I  think  three 
war-ships  manned  by  brave  men  are  more  than  sufficient 
to  arrest  one  traitor." 

"  That's  so,"  replied  Jack,  dropping  into  Americanese, 
"  if  you  can  trust  their  crews." 

"  My  son,  Don  Rafael,  commands  The  Pizarro/'he  said, 
gravely.  "  The  Government  can  trust  him  and  his  crew, 
if  no  others." 

"  '  One  swallow  doesn't  make  a  summer,'  Don  Miguel. 
That's  an  English  proverb." 

"  And  a  very  true  one.  Where  did  you  hear  that  our 
navy  was  not  to  be  trusted,  Don  Juan?" 

"Here,  and  yonder!"  said  Jack,  waving  his  hand  all 
round  the  compass.  "I  hear  this  and  that,  Senor,  and 
think  over  things.  The  general  opinion,  I  find,  is  that 
there  will  be  a  civil  war." 

"  It  needs  no  prophet  to  tell  that.     And  afterward?  " 

"Senor,  it  is  said  the  army  will  support  the  Junta,  but 
the  navy  will  strike  for  Xuarez." 

"  If  I  thought  so! "  growled  Maraquando  savagely,  under 
his  breath.  "  If  I — but  no,  Senor,  you  are  mistaken.  My 
son,  Don  Rafael,  is  in  the  navy,  and  many  of  the  officers 
are  his  personal  friends.  He  only  consorts  with  men  of 
honor,  Senor.  I  swear  that  there  is  no  fear  of  the  navy 
revolting.  In  a  few  days  our  three  ships  will  come  back 
with  Don  Hypolito." 

Jack  shrugged  his  shoulders.  He  was  a  youth  of  few 
words,  and  saw  no  reason  to  waste  breath  on  such  obstinacy. 
All  the  same  he  held  to  his  opinion.  Don  Rafael  or  no 
Don  Rafael,  the  three  war-ships  and  their  crews  were  not 
to  be  trusted.  In  spite  of  his  refusal  to  believe  in  such 

5 


70  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

treachery,  it  seemed  as  though  Don  Miguel  also  had  his 
doubts  on  the  subject. 

"I  will  see  the  President  about  this  you  speak  of,  Sefior. 
It  is  as  well  that  all  things  should  be  guarded  against." 

"  There  is  one  other  thing  that  should  be  guarded 
against/'  said  Jack,  gravely.  "Dona,  Serafina  and  your 
niece  are  some  distance  from  the  city,  at  your  estancia. 
As  there  may  be  a  war,  the  country  will  not  be  safe.  I 
suggest  that  you,  Senor,  should  ride  out  and  escort  them 
back." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  can  not  leave  the  city  at  this  juncture." 

"  Then  let  me  go,  Senor,"  said  Jack,  eagerly.  "  In  any 
event  I  will  have  to  see  the  railway  works;  they  are  near 
your  estancia,  you  know.  Let  me  ride  over  to-morrow, 
and  I  will  bring  them  back  with  me." 

"  It  is  too  much  honor,  Senor,"  replied  Maraquando, 
politely.  "  Still,  if  you  can  spare  the  time — : 

"  Oh,  that  will  be  all  right,  Sefior.  It  is  settled,  then;  I 
will  go  to-morrow." 

"  I  am  your  debtor,  Don  Juan,  and  accept  the  offer  with 
a  thousand  thanks.  But  your  friends — " 

"Oh,  we  will  look  round  Tlatonac,"  said  Tim,  putting 
up  his  pocket-book,  wherein  he  had  been  making  notes; 
"and  if  you  will  but  introduce  me  to  the  President,  Senor 
Maraquando,  I  Avill  take  it  as  a  favor.  It  will  be  useful  to 
me  in  my  letters  to  Europe." 

"  I  am  at  your  service,  Sefior  Corresponsal.  His  Excel- 
lency will  have  much  pleasure  in  receiving  you,  I  am  sure. 
Bueno!" 

"That  settles  you,  Tim,"  said  Duval,  in  English. 
"  Philip  can  go  with  you,  unless  he  prefers  to  remain  with 
Dona  Eulalia.  But  Peter  ?  " 

"Oh,  send  him  after  butterflies!" 

Duval  thought  this  a  good  idea,  and  turning  to  Don 
Miguel  explained  how  anxious  Peter  was  in  pursuit  of 
insects.  Could  Don  Miguel  send  him  beyond  the  city  in 
charge  of  some  one  to  hunt  for  beetles?  Maraquando 
reflected  for  a  moment,  and  thought  that  he  could  do  so. 
There  was  an  Indian  named  Cocom  who  would  attend  to 
Don  Pedro.  Unfortunately  he  spoke  no  English. 

"Never  mind,"  said  Jack,  easily;  "when  my  friend  is 
hunting  the  wily  butterfly,  he  speaks  to  no  one.  All  I 


DOX   MIGUEL    IS   COMMUNICATIVE.  71 

desire  is  that  he  should  have  a  guide,  so  that  he  be  not 
lost." 

"Bueno!  I  will  see  that  Coconi  goes  with  Don  Pedro 
to-morrow." 

Jack  called  Peter  from  his  interesting  conversation  with 
Eulalia,  and  explained  matters.  The  doctor  was  quite 
agreeable,  and  wanted  to  go  at  once  to  the  yacht  in  order 
to  get  his  paraphernalia  ashore.  This  ardent  desire,  how- 
ever, was  not  gratified  at  the  moment,  as  they  could 
scarcely  take  leave  of  their  courteous  host  in  so  cavalier  a 
fashion. 

"By  the  way,  Jack,"  said  Philip,  at  this  moment,  "are 
we  to  stay  on  board  the  yacht  during  your  stay  here?" 

"  By  no  means.     We  will  go  to  my  house." 

"  What!  are  you  a  landed  proprietor,  Jack?" 

"  I  have  a  rough  kind  of  diggings,  but  it's  big  enough 
for  the  lot  of  us.  Don  Miguel,"  he  added,  turning  to  their 
host,  "I  must  now  take  my  leave,  with  my  friends,  as  we 
want  to  see  about  our  house." 

"  My  house  is  at  the  disposal  of  your  friends,  Sefior." 

'•'A  thousand  thanks.  I  kiss  your  hands,  Sefior  Miguel; 
but  for  the  present  we  will  stay  at  my  residence  in  the 
Calle  Huascar." 

It  not  being  etiquette  to  press  the  invitation,  Don 
Miguel  gravely  bowed,  and  wished  them  good-by  for  the 
present.  He  had  to  go  to  a  meeting  of  the  Junta,  in  order 
to  confer  about  the  fleet,  which  had  remained  away  from 
Tlatonac  a  long  time. 

"And  it  will  remain  a  longer  time,"  said  Jack,  as  they 
emerged  on  to  the  street.  "The  navy  is  going  to  revolt  to 
Don  Hypolito." 

"  I  believe  that's  true,  but  the  old  chap  doesn't  think  so. 
He'll  have  his  eyes  open  soon,  or  my  name's  not  Tim. 
Where's  Philip?" 

"Saying  good-by  to  Doiia  Eulalia,"  replied  Jack,  smil- 
ing. "Ah,  by  the  way,  here  he  is!  Well,  Sir  Philip 
Cassim,  Baronet,  I  see  you  are  stabbed  by  a  wench's  black 
eye!" 

"A  harmless  little  conversation,'  protested  Philip, 
guiltily;  "don't  make  a  mountain  out  of  a  mole-hill, 
Jack.  I  can  take  care  of  my  heart;  but  your  charming 
brunette  friend  has  fascinated  Peter." 


72  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"I  don't  see  how  that  can  be/'  said  the  doctor,  dryly, 
"seeing  I  couldn't  understand  a  word  she  was  saying." 

"  The  language  of  the  eye,  Peter.  You  must  learn  that. 
It  is  more  interesting  than  'butterflies." 

"So  you  seem  to  think." 

"Jack,"  said  Tim,  suddenly,  "  before  we  go  to  your 
cabin  take  us  to  the  telegraph  office,  if  there  is  one  here." 

"  Of  course  there  is  one  here.  You  want  to  wire  to  your 
editor?" 

"Not  yet!  I  want  to  arrange  matters  with  the  officials. 
There's  going  to  be  trouble  here  in  a  week,  anyhow." 

"So  soon  as  that?"  said  Philip,  starting.  He  had  not 
heard  the  conversation  with  Don  Miguel. 

""Aye,  and  sooner,"  replied  Ihival,  prophetically. 
"Gather  ye  rosebuds  while  ye  may,  Philip;  for  as  sure  as 
I  stand  here,  news  is  now  on  its  way  to  Tlatonac  of  the 
loss  of  their  navy." 

"In  that  case,"  said  the  baronet,  quietly,  "it  was  a 
good  thing  I  brought  all  those  arms  with  me.  You'll 
have  to  learn  how  to  shoot,  Peter." 

"  Butterflies  and  beetles,"  said  Peter,  absently.  He 
was  thinking  of  the  morrow's  sport. 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

CHALCHTTIH    TLATONAC. 

This  is  a  country  of  magic;  for,  lo!  iu  the  heat  of  the  noontide, 
Silent  and  lone  is  the  city;  no  footfall  is  heard  in  the  highways, 
Ouly  the  grasshopper  shrilling,  the  tinkle  of  water  clear-gushing, 
And  rarely  the  sigh  of  the  breezes  that  stir  the  white  dust  on  the 

pavements. 

Magic!  no  rmu'ic  but  custom;  frr  this  is  the  time  of  siesta; 
When  sinks  the  sun,   then  the  city  will  waken  to  love  and  to 

laughter; 

Lightly  the  gay  sefioritas  will  dance  in  the  cold-shining  moonbeams. 
Flirt  fan,  flash  eyes,  and  beckon  to  lovers  who  long  for  their  kisses; 
Then  will  the  castanets  rattle,  the  little  feet,  dance  the  bolero, 
And  serenades  sigh  at  the  windows,  in  scorning  of  jealous  duennas. 
Magic  is  not  of  the  noonday;  when  glimmers  the  amorous  twilight, 
Then  is  the  time  of  enchantment,  of  love,  and  of  passionate  lovers. 

Cooom  was  completely  ignorant  of  his  real  age.  He 
might  have  been  a  hundred,  and  he  certainly  looked  as 
though  he  had  completed  his  century.  Long  ago  he  had 
left  olf  counting  the  flying  years  and  meditating  on  the 
mutability  of  human  life.  In  fact,  he  had  changed  BO 
little  that  it  is  doubtful  whether  he  believed  in  mutability 
at  all.  Wrinkled  he  was,  it  is  true,  and  slightly  bent,  but 
his  black  eyes  twinkled  with  the  fire  of  youth,  and  he 
enjoyed  his  meals.  These  things  argue  juvenility,  and 
as  Cocom  possessed  them,  he  evidently  knew  the  secret  of 
immortality.  Perhaps  he  had  found  that  fountain  of 
youth  spoken  of  by  Ponce  de  Leon.  If  so,  it  had  affected 
his  soul,  not  his  body.  He  looked  like  Methuselah. 

Yet  he  was  wonderfully  active  considering  his  years,  and 
undertook  to  introduce  Peter  to  the  butterflies  of  Central 
America.  Arrayed  in  his  whito  cotton  drawers  and  shirt, 
with  his  pink  zarape  gracefully  draped  over  his  bent 
shoulders,  he  smoked  a  long  black  cigar,  and  waited  the 
orders  of  the  "  Americanos"  in  stolid  silence. 

Peter  was  affectionately  handling  his  butterfly-net,  Tim 
was  finishing  his  breakfast,  and  Jack,  in  a  smart  riding- 
dress,  was  slashing  his  high  boots  with  his  whip,  impatient 

(73) 


74  THE    HARLEQUIN"    OPAL. 

to  get  away.  They  were  looking  at  Cocom,  who  had  just 
arrived,  and  waiting  for  Philip,  who,  as  usual,  was  late  for 
breakfast. 

"He  looks  too  old  to  be  of  much  use,''  said  the  doctor, 
disconsolately;  "why  couldn't  Don  Miguel  send  me  a  man 
instead  of  a  mummy?" 

"Perhaps  the  mummy  is  well  up  in  entomology!" 

"  He  ought  to  be  that  same! "  cried  Tim,  with  his  mouth 
full;  "he's  had  plenty  of  time  to  learn,  anyhow.  Ask  the 
old  cocoauuthis  age,  Jack." 

"Don't  you  take  liberties  with  his  name,  Tim.  Cocom 
was  a  king  of  Mayapan;  and  this,  I  presume,  is  his 
descendant." 

"Eoyalty  out  at  elbows!"  said  Peter,  blandly. 

"It's  a  king,  is  it?"  remarked  Tim,  staring  at  the 
Indian.  "He  looks  a  mighty  second-hand  sort  of  article. 
I  should  be  a  king  myself.  Wasn't  one  of  my  ancestors 
King  of  Cork?" 

"Good-morning,  gentlemen,"'  said  Philip,  entering  at 
this  moment;  "  where  did  you  pick  up  Methuselah?" 

"  This  is  Cocom,  my  guide,"  said  the  doctor,  proudly, 
introducing  Cocom,  who  removed  his  sombrero  with  a 
graceful  sweep. 

"Oh,  you  are  going  to  hunt  the  ferocious  beetle,  are 
you  not?  What  is  he,  Jack?  An  Aztec?" 

"  No;  a  descendant  of  the  Mayas." 

"A  dethroned  king — no  less." 

"You  know  the  country  round  here,  Cocom?"  said 
Philip,  taking  no  notice  of  Tim's  joke. 

"Yes,  Senor  Americano;  all!  all! "replied  Cocom,  with 
grave  dignity.  "  Don  Pedro  will  be  safe  with  me." 

"You  can  show  him  butterflies?" 

"Seiior,  I  can  show  him  butterflies,  ants,  beetles,  wasps; 
all  the  senor  desires  to  behold." 

"That  being  so,  Peter,  you  had  better  get  away,"  said 
Jack,  impatiently.  "I  want  to  be  off,  and  must  see  you 
started  first;  you  can't  be  trusted  to  run  the  show  on  your 
own  account." 

"  I'm  quite  ready.  Good-by,  boys;  I  will  see  j^n  this 
afternoon." 

"  Not  me,"  said  Dnval,  brusquely;  "  I'm  off  tc  M"ara- 
quando's  estancia." 


CHALCHUIH    TLATONAC.  75 

"Take  care  of  the  sun,  Peter,"  warned  Philip,  kindly; 
"your  head  isn't  over  strong." 

Peter  indignantly  repudiated  this  imputation  on  his 
cranium,  and  forthwith  followed  Cocom  out  of  the  house, 
gleefully  looking  forward  to  a  pleasant  day.  His  ideas  of 
pleasure  were  singularly  limited. 

"He's  quite  safe,  isn't  he,  Jack?"  said  Philip,  anx- 
iously. "  I  don't  want  Peter  to  get  into  trouble." 

"  Oh,  Cocom  will  look  after  him.  I  know  the  old  man 
well.  He  is  devoted  to  Don  Miguel,  who  once  saved  his  life. 
Cocom  will  sit  on  a  bank  and  watch  Peter  gasping  after 
butterflies.  The  exercise  will  do  the  doctor's  liver  good." 

"You  are  off  yourself  now,  I  suppose?" 

"Yes,  I've  been  waiting  for  you.  Keally,  Philip,  you 
are  the  laziest  man  I  know." 

"  This  house  that  Jack  built  is  the  castle  of  indolence," 
explained  Philip,  sitting  down  to  table.  "Go,  my  friend, 
and  kiss  Dolores  for  me!" 

"  I'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort.  I'll  kiss  her  for  my  own 
sake!  Adios  caballeros." 

"When  will  you  return,  Jack?" 

"To-morrow.  Meanwhile  Don  Miguel  will  look  after 
you  both.  Take  care  of  yourselves." 

"  Con  dios  va  usted  mi  amigo!  "  said  Cassim,  graciously. 
"  Now  go  away,  and  let  me  eat  my  breakfast." 

Jack  departed,  and  Tim  went  to  the  window  to  see  him 
ride  down  the  street. 

"  He  is  a  fine  boy,"  he  said,  returning  to  the  breakfast- 
table.  "  Dona  Dolores  ought  to  be  proud  of  having  such 
a  lover." 

"I  have  no  doubt  she  is,  Tim.  It  is  to  be  hoped  the 
course  of  true  love  will  run  smooth  with  Jack;  but  Avhat 
with  Don  Hypolito  and  the  Harlequin  Opal  I  have  my 
doubts.  What  are  your  plans,  Timothy?" 

"  It's  writing  I'll  be,  all  day! ' 

"Nonsense.     Come  and  see  Tlatonac." 

"I  can't.     Isn't  my  chief  waiting  a  letter  from  me?" 

"  Such  industry !  Tim,  you  make  me  feel  ashamed  of 
myself." 

"The  devil  I  do.  Then  you  write  my  letter,  Philip, 
and  I'll  flirt  with  Dona  Enlalia.  I'm  a  white-headed  boy 
with  the  female  sex." 


76  THE   HAELEQUIN    OPAL. 

"  No,  thank  you.     It's  not  a  fair  exchange." 

"  Ah,  she's  a  dark-eyed  colleen,  Philip.  You  have  lost 
your  heart  there/'7 

"No,"  said  Philip,  a  trifle  doubtfully.  "I  have  seen 
too  many  pretty  faces  to  be  captured  at  first  sight  by  a  new 
one.  I  have  other  things  to  think  of  besides  marriage." 

"  You  have,  but  you  won't,"  retorted  Tim,  ungrammat- 
ically. "  Now  get  away  with  you,  and  leave  me  to  my 
writing." 

''  I'll  be  back  in  two  hours." 

"  If  you  are  not,  I'll  come  and  look  you  up  at  the  Don's. 
Make  love  to  Doila  Eulalia  while  you  can,  Philip,  for  it's 
mighty  little  time  you'll  have  when  the  row  starts. 

"  Do  ye  hear  the  cannon's  rattle?  do  ye  smell  the  smoke  av  battle, 
Whin  the  Irish  bhoys  are  ridia'  down  the  inimy  so  bould? 
Do  ye  see  the  bullets  flyin'?  and  j  our  faithful  Patrick  dyin', 
Wid  ne'er  a  sowl  beside  him  dear,  to  kiss  his  forehead  cowld?  " 

Tim,  with  that  sudden  transition  from  mirth  to  melan- 
choly so  characteristic  of  the  Celtic  race,  threw  so  much 
pathos  into  the  last  two  lines  that  Philip  could  not  trust 
himself  to  reply,  and  went  hastily  out  of  the  room.  lie 
drew  a  long  breath  of  relief  when  he  found  himself  in  the 
hot  sunshine,  for  that  unexpected  note  of  sorrow  from 
jovial  Tim  touched  him  more  nearly  than  he  cared  to  con- 
fess. In  spite  of  his  cold  demeanor  and  reserve,  Philip 
was  of  a  very  emotional  nature,  and  that  melancholy  strain 
had  reached  his  heart.  He  was  by  no  means  prone  to 
superstition,  but  at  that  moment  a  sudden  question  stirred 
his  self-complacency.  Never  before  had  he  heard  Tim 
sing  so  pathetically,  and  the  unexpectedness  of  the  thing 
startled  him.  It  seemed  to  hint  at  future  sorrows.  Poor 
Tim! 

"  Confound  that  Banshee  song,"  he  said,  with  a  shiver, 
as  he  strolled  along  toward  the  Calle  Otumba;  "it  makes 
me  think  of  death  and  the  grave.  These  Irishmen  take 
one  at  a  disadvantage.  I  won't  shake  off  the  feeling  the 
whole  day." 

He  forgot  all  about  it,  however,  when  he  reached  Mara- 
quando's  house,  for  in  the  patio  he  found  Eulalia,  who 
greeted  him  with  a  brilliant  smile.  The  charm  of  her 
society  banished  the  melancholy  engendered  by  Tim's 
pesohnism,  and,  chatting  gaily  to  this  strongly  Vitalized 


CHALCHUIH    TLATONAC.  77 

being,  who  restlessly  flashed  round  the  court  like  a  hum- 
ming-bird, he  recovered  his  usual  spirits.  There  is  more 
in  juxtaposition  than  people  think. 

"And  where  are  your  friends,  Don  Felipe?"  asked 
Eulalia,  standing  on  tip-toe  to  pluck  a  gorgeous  tropical 
blossom. 

"  Allow  me  to  get  you  that  flower,  Senora,"  replied  Philip, 
eagerly.  "My  friends,"  he  added,  as  he  presented  her 
with  the  bud,  "are  variously  employed.  Don  Pedro  is 
out  after  butterflies  with  Cocom.  Senor  Corresponsal  is 
writing  for  his  'diario/  and  Don"  Juan — " 

"  I  know  where  Don  Juan  is,  Senor.  Yes;  my  father 
told  me  of  his  kindness.  He  will  bring  back  from  the 
cstaucia  Dona  Serafina." 

-'And  Dona  Dolores?" 

Eulalia  flung  open  her  fan  with  a  coquettish  gesture, 
and  raising  it  to  her  face  looked  over  the  top  of  it  at 
Philip. 

"You  know,  then,  Senor,  what  you  know?" 

"  Assuredly,"  replied  the  baronet,  tickled  at  this  deli- 
cate way  of  putting  it.  "  I  know  that  my  friend  wishes 
to  marry  your  cousin." 

"  Ay  de  mi!     It  can  never  be." 

"He  is  not  rich  enough?" 

"He  is  not  a  Spaniard.  My  father  will  never  consent. 
And  then,"  she  dropped  her  voice,  and  looked  round  fear- 
fully,"the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac!" 

"I  know  about  that  also.  But  it  has  nothing  to  do  with 
this  marriage." 

"  It  has  everything  to  do  with  it.  The  Indians  look  on 
my  cousin  as  one  of  themselves,  and  if  she  married  an 
Americano  she  would  leave  the  country.  Then  there 
would  be  no  guardian  of  the  stone,  and  their  god  would  be 
angry." 

"  Is  your  cousin,  then,  to  marry  as  they  please?  " 

"  She  must  marry  one  of  her  own  people.  An  Indian  or 
a  Mestizo." 

" But  suppose  she  does  not?" 

"The  Indians  will  carry  her  to  their  forest  temple  and 
keep  her  there  in  captivity." 

"Impossible!     How  could  they  seize  her  in  Tlatonac?" 

Dona  Eulalia  nodded  her  head  wisely. 


78  THE    HARLEQUIN"    OPAL. 

"You  do  not  know  how  strong  are  the  Indians,  Senor. 
They  are  everywhere.  If  they  want  Dolores  at  their  tem- 
ple, they  will  be  sure  to  capture  her  if  they  choose." 

"By  force?" 

"No,  by  stratagem!  They  could  take  her  away  at  any 
moment,  and  none  of  us  would  see  her  again/'' 

"  But  what  does  Don  Hypolito  say  to  all  this?" 

Eulalia  spread  out  her  little  hands  with  a  look  of 
disgust. 

"Don  Hypolito  wants  to  marry  Dolores  because  of  the 
Chalchuih  Tlatonac!  He  is  a  Mestizo,  so  the  Indians 
would  not  mind  such  a  marriage.  But  she  hates  him  and 
loves  Don  Juan.  Let  your  friend  beware,  Senor." 

"  Of  whom!     Of  Don  Hypolito?  " 

"  Yes;  and  of  the  Indians.  It  is  much  feared  that  Don 
Hypolito  is  no  good  Catholic;  that  he  has  been  to  the  for- 
est temple  and  seen — oh,"  she  broke  off  with  a  shudder, 
"I  do  not  know  what  he  has  seen!  But  he  hates  Don 
Juan,  and  if  he  captures  him  will  put  him  to  death. 
Senor—" 

At  this  moment,  before  she  could  say  more,  Don  Miguel 
entered  the  patio.  Whereupon  Eulalia  whirled  away  like 
a  black-and-amber  bird.  Philip  looked  after  her  for  a  sec- 
ond, thinking  how  graceful  she  was,  then  turned  to  greet 
Don  Miguel.  That  gentleman  was  as  lean  and  dry  and  as 
solemn  as  ever.  How  he  ever  came  to  be  the  parent  of  this 
fairy  of  midnight  Philip  could  not  quite  understand.  But 
doubtless  she  took  after  her  mother;  the  female  side  of  a 
family  generally  does  in  looks. 

"I  was  just  conversing  with  Dona  Eulalia," said  Philip, 
responding  to  Maraquando's  stately  greeting.  "  Your 
daughter,  Sefior." 

"She  is  yours  also,  Senor,"  was  Miguel's  startling  reply. 

"Egad!  I  wish  she  was  mine,"  thought  Cassim,  who 
knew  this  Spanish  formula  too  well  to  be  astonished. 
"  By  the  way,  Senor,  my  friend  Don  Pedro  thanks  you  for 
sending  Cocom,"  he  added,  politely. 

"Dom  Pedro  is  welcome  a  thousand  times  to  my  poor 
services.  And  where  is  the  Senor  Corresponsal?" 

"  Writing  for  his  diario." 

"  Bueno,"Senor.     And  Don  Juan?  " 

"  He  is  now  on  his  way  to  your  estancia." 


CHALCHUIH    TLATONAC.  79 

"  I  am  his  servant  for  such  kindness/''  said  Maraquando, 
gravely.  "Will  you  take  some  pulque,  Senor  Felipe?  " 

"  I  thank  you,  no,"  replied  Philip,  remembering  his 
former  experience  of  the  drink.  "If  not  troubling  you 
too  much,  I  would  like  to  see  Tlatonac." 

"I  am  at  your  service,  Senor.  Shall  we  depart  at 
once?" 

Philip  signified  his  acquiescence,  though  he  would  rather 
have  stayed  in  the  cool  patio  and  flirted  with  Dona  Eulalia. 
He  knew,  however,  that  Spanish  fathers  are  not  the  most 
amiable  parents  in  the  world,  and  resent  too  much  atten- 
tion being  paid  by  foreigners  to  their  womankind;  there- 
fore he  took  leave  of  the  young  lady  and  departed  with 
Don  Miguel.  Before  Philip  parted  from  that  gentleman, 
he  had  explored  the  city  thoroughly,  and  was  quite  worn 
out. 

The  Jefe  Politico  was  a  most  conscientious  cicerone. 
He  took  Philip  to  every  building  of  any  note,  and  gave 
him  a  minute  history  of  all  events  connected  therewith 
from  the  earliest  period  to  the  present  time.  Fortunately 
Tlatonac  was  not  very  old,  or  he  would  have  gone  on  for  a 
week  without  stopping.  As  it  was,  he  took  nearly  all  day 
in  directing  Philip's  attention  to  dates,  Aztec  idols,  ruins 
of  teocallis,  sites  of  palaces,  to  battle-fields,  and  many 
other  things  too  numerous  to  mention.  This  information 
was  accurate  but  wearisome,  and  Philip  felt  it  to  be  so. 
Maraquando  was  Prescott  and  Bancroft  rolled  into  one,  as 
regards  knowledge  of  history,  and,  having  found  a  willing 
listener,  took  full  advantage  of  the  opportunity.  Cassim 
was  too  polite  to  object,  but  he  heartily  wished  that  Don 
Miguel  would  hold  his  tongue.  The  most  pathetic  part  of 
the  whole  affair  was  that  the  poor  man  thought  he  was 
amusing  his  guest. 

Tlatonac  is  built  partly  on  the  seashore  and  partly  on  a 
hill.  Within  the  walls  of  the  forts  frowning  over  the 
waters  are  the  dwellings  of  the  flat  portion  inhabited  by 
peons  and  leperos,  with  a  sprinkling  of  low-caste  Mestizos. 
From  thence  the  houses  rise  up  to  the  top  of  the  hill, 
which  is  crowned  by  the  cathedral  in  the  Plaza  de  los 
Hombres  Ilustres.  This  is  the  heart  of  Tlatonac,  the  aris- 
tocratic quarter,  and  commands  a  splendid  view  of  the 
surrounding  country. 


80  THE  HAKLEQUIN   OPAL. 

The  Plaza  was  a  very  large  square,  fenced  in  on  three 
sides  by  the  houses  of  the  Cholacacan  aristocracy,  on  the 
fourth  by  the  great  cathedral.  In  the  center  was  the 
zocalo,  a  green  oasis  of  verdure  laid  out  in  winding  walks 
and  brilliant  flower-beds.  Herein  the  aristocracy  took 
their  walks  when  the  band  played  in  the  cool  of  the  even- 
ing, using  it  as  a  kind  of  alameda,  wherein  to  meet  their 
friends,  and  gossip.  It  was  indeed  a  charming  spot,  and 
its  green  arcades  afforded  a  grateful  shade  from  the  hot 
sun  which  blazed  down  on  the  white  stones  of  the  square 
outside.  On  leaving  the  zocalo  they  entered  the  church 
dedicated  to  Nuestra  Senora  de  la  Concepcion,  which  once 
gave  its  name  to  the  town  now  more  generally  known  by 
its  Indian  appellation  of  Tlatonac. 

"  The  cathedral,  Sefior,"  said  Don  Miguel,  as  they  stood 
beneath  the  glory  of  the  great  cupola,  "  is  built  on  the  site 
of  a  famous  teocalli." 

"That  dedicated  to  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac?" 

"To  the  false  god  Huitzilopochtli,  Senor," corrected  the 
Spaniard,  gravely.  "I  see  you  know  the  story.  Yes,  it 
was  here  that  the  son  of  Montezuma's  daughter  came  with 
the  shining  precious  stone  which  gives  its  name  to  the  city. 
He  worshiped  his  barbaric  deities  after  the  fashion  of  his 
mother,  and  built  here  a  teocalli  to  the  war-god,  wherein 
was  preserved  the  devil  stone.  Many  years  after,  when  the 
Conquistadores — our  ancestors,  Sefior — arrived,  the  then 
possessor  of  the  opal  fled  with  it  into  the  impenetrable  for- 
ests, and  thus  the  jewel  was  lost  to  the  crown  of  Spain.  The 
Conquistadores  pulled  down  the  teocalli  and  built  thereon 
this  church  to  the  glory  of  Our  Lady,  at  the  command  of 
Fray  Medina,  who  afterward  became  the  first  Bishop  of 
Tlatonac.  Is  it  not  beautiful,  Senor  ?  And  all  for  the  glory 
of  God  and  the  true  cross. " 

It  was  indeed  a  beautiful  old  church,  mellowed  into 
restful  beauty  by  the  lapse  of  years.  The  floor  was  of 
marquetry,  hued  like  a  dim  rainbow,  owing  to  the  different- 
colored  woods.  Slender  porphyry  pillars  sprang  from  the 
floor  to  the  groined  ceiling  in  two  long  rows,  and  at  the 
far  end,  under  a  firmament  of  sun  and  stars  and  silver 
moons,  with  ascending  saints  and  wide-winged  angels, 
arose  the  glory  of  the  great  altar,  sparkling  in  the  dusky 
atmosphere  like  a  vast  jewel.  Before  it  burned  a  silver 


CHALCHUIH    TLATOSTAC.  81 

lamp  like  a  red  star.  Tapestries,  richly  worked,  depended 
between  the  pillars;  gorgeous  brocades  were  here,  faded 
silken  draperies  there,  and  everywhere  faces  of  saint, 
angel,  cherubim,  and  seraphim.  Gilt  crosses,  pictures  of 
the  Virgin,  statues  of  the  Virgin,  side  altars  laden  with 
flowers,  silver  railings,  steps  of  Puebla  marble,  like 
alabaster,  and  throughout  a  dim  religious  light  as  the  rays 
of  the  sun  pierced  the  painted  windows.  The  fumes  of 
incense  permeated  the  building;  there  was  a  sound  of 
muttered  prayers,  and  here  and  there  a  dark  figure  pros- 
trate before  a  shrine  or  kneeling  at  the  confessional. 

All  this  magnificence  was  toned  down  by  time  to  delicate 
hues,  which  blended  the  one  with  the  other  and  made  a 
harmonious  whole.  Dingy  and  old  as  it  was,  the  whole 
edifice  was  redolent  of  sacred  associations,  and  it  required 
some  imagination  to  conceive  that  where  now  reigned  this 
quiet  and  holy  beauty,  once  arose  a  heathen  temple,  where 
the  victims  shrieked  on  the  altar  of  a  fierce  deity.  Beligion 
did  not  seem  very  flourishing  in  Cholacaca,  for  on  this 
day  in  the  cathedral  there  were  few  worshipers,  no  priests. 

"We  have  few  priests  now,  Senor,"  explained  Don 
Miguel,  gravely,  as  they  left  the  great  building.  "  The 
Jesuits  were  once  powerful  in  Cholacaca,  but  they  were 
expelled  some  years  ago.  The  priests  would  meddle  with 
politics,  and  when  the  Church  clashes  with  the  Govern- 
ment—well, Senor,  one  must  go  to  the  wall." 

"  So  the  Jesuits  went?" 

"  Yes.  They  were  unwilling  to  go,  for  Cholacaca  is  one 
of  the  richest  mission  fields.  Not  that  I  think  they  have 
done  much  good,  for  though  the  Indians  are  outwardly 
converted,  yet  I  know  for  certain  that  they  still  secretly 
worship  Huitzilopochtli  and  the  Chalchuih  Tlatouac." 

"What  makes  you  think  so,  Don  Miguel?" 

"Little  things!  The  straws  which  show  the  wind's 
course.  On  the  summit  of  some  of  these  ruined  teocallis, 
beyond  the  walls,  I  have  often  seen  fresh  wreaths  of  flowers. 
Nay,  in  my  own  patio,  before  those  statues  of  Coatlicue, 
Quetzalcoatli,  and  Teoyamiqui  I  have  found  offerings  of 
flowers  and  fruit.  'Tis  also  said,  Senor,"  pursued  Mara- 
quando,  dropping  his  voice,  "  that  in  the  hidden  Temple  of 
the  Opal  the  Indians  still  sacrifice  human  victims  to  the 
war-god.  But  this  may  be  false." 
0 


82  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

"Very  probably!  I  can  not  conceive  such  horrors/3 
replied  Philip,  with  a  shudder;  "  but  as  regards  priests,, 
there  are  still  some  here  I  presume?" 

"  Assuredly;  but  not  of  the  Society  of  Jesus — save  one. 
Yes,  Padre  Ignatius  is  still  here.  He  was,  and  is,  so 
beloved  by  all  that  the  President  had  not  the  heart  to 
banish  him.  So  he  yet  works  for  the  Faith  in  our  midst." 

"  I  should  like  to  meet  Father  Ignatius?" 

' '  You  shall  do  so,  Senor.  He  is  a  great  friend  of  mine, 
and  the  confessor  of  my  children.  Often  does  he  come  to 
my  poor  house.  But  let  us  walk  on,  Senor.  There  are 
many  things  to  see.  El  Palacio  Nacional,  where  dwells 
His  Excellency;  the  Marketplace,  and  the  alameda.  We 
are  proud  of  our  alameda,  Senor." 

Thus  talked  on  Don  Miguel,  and,  amused  by  the  novelty 
of  the  scene,  Philip  stared  round  him  with  great  pleasure. 
They  passed  the  pulquerias,  which  are  the  public-houses 
of  Tlatonac,  saw  the  Palacio  Nacioual,  a  huge  stone  build- 
ing above  which  flaunted  the  yellow  flag  of  the  Republic, 
with  its  device  of  a  white  stone,  darting  rays  of  red, 
yellow,  green,  and  blue,  in  allusion  to  the  opal;  explored 
the  prison,  which  held  a  fine  collection  of  ruffians,  and 
ultimately  arrived  at  the  Market  Place. 

It  was  the  prettiest  sight  in  Tlatonac,  and  Philip  was 
sorry  he  had  not  the  power  to  transfer  the  scene,  with  all 
its  varied  hues  and  picturesque  figures,  to  paper.  A  square 
little  less  large  than  the  great  Plaza,  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  gaily  tinted  houses.  Reds,  greens,  yellows,  pinks, 
the  Plaza  was  girdled  by  a  perfect  rainbow,  and  under  the 
gay  awnings  before  these  sat  the  dealers  and  their  wares. 
Here  were  tropical  fruits  from  the  tierras  calientes,  com- 
prising oranges,  bananas,  pineapples,  melons,  peaches,  and 
an  infinite  variety  of  others,  all  piled  in  picturesque  con- 
fusion on  the  stalls.  As  to  flowers,  the  whole  place  was  a 
mass  of  blossom,  from  gorgeous  red  cactus-buds  to  modest 
bunches  of  violets.  Owing  to  the  geography  of  Mexico 
and  Central  America,  the  products  of  both  temperate  and 
tropical  zones  can  be  found  flourishing  at  one  and  the 
same  time.  Hence  the  violets,  which  Philip  had  scarcely 
expected  to  see.  They  put  him  in  mind  of  English  woods; 
of  the  day  when  in  the  Isle  of  Wight  Jack  told  him 
about  Dolores. 


CHALCHTJIH    TLATOtfAC.  83 

te  Yes,  the  Indians  are  fond  of  flowers/'  said  Don  Miguel, 
when  Philip  expressed  his  surprise  at  the  profusion  of 
blossoms.  "  It  is  a  taste  they  inherit  from  their  ancestors. 
The  Aztecs,  you  know,  were  famous  for  floriculture.  We 
love  flowers  just  as  passionately;  and  go  where  you  will  in 
Tlatonac,  you  will  find  blooming  gardens  gay  with  flowers/' 

"It  is  a  graceful  taste,  and  one  which  the  climate 
enables  you  to  gratify  to  the  full." 

"  Without  doubt,  Senor.  We  possess  three  climates  in 
which  flourish  different  products  of  Nature.  Tlatonac  is 
in  the  tierra  calienti,  or  hot  country.  Higher  up,  on  the 
table-lands,  it  is  less  tropical,  and  is  called  the  tierra  tem- 
plada;  while  the  snow-clad  mountain-peaks,  where  flourish 
pine  trees,  oaks,  and  hemlocks,  are  known  by  the  name  of 
the  tierra  fria.  Thus,  you  see,  in  our  country  we  possess 
all  the  climates  of  the  world." 

"A  rare  advantage.  Central  America  is  a  favored 
country." 

"  In  all  save  its  rulers,"  sighed  Maraquando,  regretfully. 
"  Nor  is  its  population  what  it  should  be.  I  tell  you, 
Senor,  this  land  should  be  the  most  powerful  in  the  world. 
It  is  the  most  favored  spot  on  earth — the  garden  of  Para- 
dise; but  what  with  our  incessant  civil  wars,  our  incompe- 
tent governors,  and,  of  late,  the  tyranny  of  the  Church, 
the  whole  continent  is  demoralized.  Ah,  if  we  but  had 
the  man  who  could  weld  all  our  foolish  republics  into  one 
great  nation!  Then,  indeed,  would  we  be  the  glory  of  the 
earth." 

"  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez  evidently  looks  upon  himself  as 
that  man." 

"Don  Hypolito!"  echoed  Maraquando,  scornfully. 
"No,  Senor;  he  has  the  instincts  of  a  tyrant.  He  would 
grind  down  the  people  as  the  Conquistadores  did  their 
ancestors.  Were  he  pure-minded  and  noble  in  his  am- 
bition, I — even  I,  Miguel  Maraquando — would  support 
him.  I  would  lay  aside  all  prejudices  to  aid  him  to  make 
our  country  great.  But  I  know  the  man,  Don  Felipe.  He 
is  a  half-breed,  a  treacherous  scoundrel,  who  wants  to  be  the 
Santa  Anna  of  the  Eepublic.  Let  him  beware  of  Iturbide's 
fate!" 

"  At  all  events,  he  is  going  to  attempt  to  become  Em- 
peror," persisted  Philip,  calmly. 


84  THE  HAKLEQU1N   OPAL. 

"  No!     The  Junta  has  decided  that  he  is  to  be  banished 
from  Cholacaca.    Already  the  fleet  is  at  Acauhtzin  to  arrest 
him,  and  to-morrow  we  send  up  a  special  message  that  he 
is  to  be  brought  to  Tlatonac  at  once." 
"Suppose  he  refuses  to  come?" 
"He  Avill  be  brought  by  force." 

"Always  provided  the  fleet  does  not  support  his  cause." 
"  You  too,  Seiior!"  said  Maraquando,  thoughtfully;  "so 
said  Don  Juan  last  night.  It  may  be  so,  and  yet  I  hope, 
for  the  sake  of  the  country,  that  the  affair  may  be  ended  at 
once.  I  believe  the  navy  will  continue  faithful.  My  own 
son,  Don  Rafael,  is  in  command  of  one  ship ;  yet  I  mistrust 
Xuarez  and  his  oily  tongue.  Yes,  Seiior,  I  have  thought 
much  since  Don  Juan  and  the  Seiior  Corresponsal  spoke  to 
me  last  night.  I  have  conferred  with  His  Excellency  the 
President.  Therefore  have  we  decided  to  send  up  a  mes- 
sage to-morrow  ordering  the  return  of  the  fleet,  with  or 
without  Xuarez.  It  does  not  do  to  trust  him." 

"  You  have  another  man-of-war,  then,  to  go  to 
Acauhtzin." 

"  No  ;  we  have  a  small  steamer.  But  she  is  quick,  and 
will  go  there  and  return  in  no  time." 

"  That  is  if  she  is  permitted  to  do  so,"  thought  Philip;  but 
he  did  not  say  this  aloud,  lest  Don  Miguel  should  grow  angry. 
"  Still,  even  if  the  fleet  does  revolt,  we  will  have  the  tor- 
pederas,"  said  the  Jefe,  cheerfully.  "They  are  now  on 
their  way  from  England.  His  Excellency  received  a  tele- 
gram yesterday." 

"If  you  have  the  torped  eras  you  can  do  a  good  deal," 
replied  Philip,  lighting  a  cigarette;  "  and  if  there  is  a  war, 
Don  Miguel,  niy  yacht  is  at  the  service  of  the  Govern- 
ment." 

"A  thousand,  thousand  thanks,  Seiior!"  said  Miguel, 
smiling  gratefully;  "  but  I  hope  and  trust  there  Avill  be  no 
occasion  for  us  to  ask  you  to  make  such  a  sacrifice.  How- 
ever, we  will  soon  know;  in  three  days  at  the  most.  If  the 
fleet  are  true  to  us,  they  will  bring  back  Don  Hypolito. 
If  not,  we  will  know  what  steps  to  take  to  defend  Tlatonac 
from  being  bombarded." 

"  By  the  way,  Sefior,"  said  Cassim,  thoughtfully,  "  you 
have  a  telegraph  station  here.  In  which  direction  do  the 
wires  run?" 


CHALCHUIH    TLATOtfAC.  85 

"Why  do  you  ask,  Senor?" 

"Because  the  Senor  Corresponsal  wishes  constant  com- 
munication with  England  should  there  be  a  war.  Now,  if 
the  wires  go  north  to  Acauhtzin,  they  can  be  cut  by  Don 
Hypolito." 

"  That  is  true,  Don  Felipe.  Fortunately  they  do  not 
run  north.  No;  the  wires  run  south  to  Janjalla,  which 
town  will  certainly  remain  faithful  to  the  Government. 
From  thence  all  messages  can  be  with  ease  transmitted  to 
England." 

Philip  was  pleased  at  this,  as  he  saw  that  Tim  would 
be  enabled  to  transmit  messages  to  England  with  the  great- 
est ease,  and  thus  cover  himself  with  glory.  They  con- 
versed for  a  few  minutes  on  the  subject  and  then  left  the 
market  for  the  alameda. 

It  was  a  most  delightful  promenade.  High  trees  on 
either  side,  whose  branches  formed  a  green  arcade  above 
the  heads  of  the  promenaders.  Beds  of  roses  in  profu- 
sion, brilliant  tropical  plants,  bronze  statues,  marble  statues, 
and  plenty  of  pleasantly  situated  seats.  One  portion  was 
reserved  for  those  who  chose  to  walk,  another  for  horses 
and  their  riders.  Hither  came  all  the  aristocracy  of  the 
city  when  they  grew  weary  of  the  zocalo  of  the  Plaza  de 
los  Hombres  Ilustres,  and  on  this  day  the  alameda  was 
crowded. 

In  a  gaily  decorated  band-stand,  an  excellent  company 
of  musicians  played  bright  music,  mostly  airs  from  comic 
operas,  and  Philip  was  amused  to  hear  Offenbachian  frivol- 
ities sounding  in  this  spot.  They  seemed  out  of  place. 
The  musicians  had  no  sense  of  the  fitness  of  things.  They 
should  have  played  boleros  fandangos — the  national  music 
of  Spain — instead  of  which  they  jingled  the  trashy  airs  of 
minor  musicians. 

The  alameda  was  thronged  by  a  motley  crowd,  presenting 
more  varied  features  than  are  to  be  seen  in  any  other  part 
of  the  world.  Indian  women  squatting  at  the  corners  sell- 
ing fruit  and  pulque,  beautiful  senoritas  with  black  man- 
tillas and  elegant  fans,  gay  young  cavaliers  dashing  along 
on  spirited  horses  in  all  the  bravery  of  the  national  cos- 
tume, and  not  seldom  a  sour-looking  duenna,  jealously 
watching  her  charge.  Occasionally  a  priest  in  shovel-hat 
and  black  cassock — but  these  were  very  rare.  The  army 

6 


86  THE  HAELEQUIN   OPAl. 

was  al-o  represented  by  a  number  of  gaily  dressed  officers, 
who  smoked  cigarettes,  smiled  at  the  senoritas,  and 
clanked  their  huge  spurs  ostentatiously  together.  It  was 
a  gay  scene,  and  Philip  admired  it  greatly. 

"I  have  never  seen  such  a  mixed  crowd  anywhere,"  he 
said,  lightly,  "save  in  the  S  trad  a  Reale  in  Valetta." 

"Well! "said  Maraquando,  after  a  pause,  "and  what 
do  you  think  of  Tlatonac!" 

"It  is  a  terrestrial  Paradise,"  replied  Philip,  "and 
Hypolito  is  the  serpent." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

DOLOEES. 

Your  eyes 

Are  dark  as  midnight  skies, 

And  bright  as  midnight  stars; 
Their  glance 
Is  full  of  love's  romance, 

When  no  hate  loving  mars. 
Oh,  let  those  eyes  look  down  on  me, 
Oh,  let  those  glances  wander  free, 
And  I  will  take  those  stars  to  be 
My  guides  for  life, 
Across  the  ocean  of  wild  strife, 

Dolores! 

My  heart 

Those  looks  have  rent  apart, 

And  now  'tis  torn  in  twain; 
Oh,  take 
That  broken  heart,  and  make, 

With  kiss,  it  whole  again ; 
Oh,  lightly  from  thy  lattice  bend, 
Give  but  a  smile,  and  it  will  mend; 
Then  love  will  love  be  till  we  end 
Our  life  of  tears 
For  some  sweet  life  in  yonder  spheres, 

Dolores ! 

The  next  day  Jack  came  back  with,  Dolores  and  Dona 
Serafina.  He  was  puffed  up  with  exceeding  pride  at  his 
good  fortune,  for  it  is  not  every  young  man  in  Central 
America  who  gets  a  chance  of  talking  unreservedly  with 
the  girl  of  his  heart.  The  Cholacacans  treat  their  women- 
folk as  do  the  Turks :  shut  them  up  from  the  insolent 
glances  of  other  men,  and  only  let  them  feel  their  power 
over  the  susceptible  hearts  of  cavaliers  at  the  yearly  car- 
nival. Jack  never  did  approve  of  these  orientalisms,  even 
in  his  days  of  heart-wholeness;  and  now  that  his  future 
hinged  on  the  smile  of  Dolores,  he  disapproved  of  such 
shuttings  up  more  than  ever. 

(87) 


88  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

Fortunately  Don  Miguel  was  not  a  Turk,  and  gave  his 
women-folk  greater  freedom  than  was  usual  in  Tlatonae. 
Dolores  and  her  cousin  were  not  unused  to  masculine 
society,  and  Dona  Serafina  was  the  most  good-natured  of 
duennas.  Consequently  they  saw  a  good  deal  of  the  creat- 
ure man,  and  were  correspondingly  grateful  for  the  seeing. 
Still,  even  in  Cholacaca  it  is  going  too  far  to  let  a  young 
unmarried  fellow  ride  for  many  miles  beside  the  caleza  of 
two  unmarried  ladies.  So  far  as  Dona  Serafina  was 
concerned,  it  did  not  matter.  She  was  old  enough  and 
ugly  enough  to  be  above  suspicion;  but  Dolores — ah,  ah! 
the  scandal-mongers  of  Tlatonae  opened  their  black 
eyes  and  whispered  behind  their  black  fans  when  they 
heard  of  Don  Miguel's  folly;  of  the  Senor  Americano's 
audacity. 

As  a  rule,  Don  Miguel,  proud  as  Lucifer,  would  not  have 
permitted  Jack  to  escort  his  sister  and  niece  in  this  way; 
but  the  prospect  of  a  war  had  played  havoc  with  social 
observances.  Don  Eafael  was  away,  Don  Miguel  could  not 
leave  the  capital,  and  the  ladies  certainly  could  not  return 
by  themselves  over  bad  roads  infested  by  Indians.  Thus 
the  affair  admitted  of  some  excuse,  and  Don  Miguel  was 
grateful  to  Jack  for  performing  what  should  have  been  his 
duty.  He  did  not  know  that  the  gratitude  was  nil  on  the 
other  side,  and  that  Duval  would  have  given  years  of  his 
life  for  the  pleasant  journey,  obtained  with  so  little  trouble. 
If  he  had  known — well,  Don  Miguel  was  not  the  most 
amiable  of  men,  so  there  would  probably  have  been  trouble. 
As  it  was,  however,  the  proud  Spaniard  knew  nothing,  not 
even  as  much  as  did  the  gossips  of  Tlatonae;  so  Jack  duly 
arrived  with  his  fair  charges,  and  was  duly  thanked  for  his 
trouble  by  the  grateful  Maraqnando.  Fate  was  somewhat 
ironical  in  dealing  with  the  matter. 

That  journey  was  a  glimpse  of  Paradise  to  Jack,  for  he 
had  Dolores  all  to  himself.  Dona  Serafina,  being  asleep, 
did  not  count.  A  peon,  with  a  long  cigar,  who  was  as 
stupid  as  a  stone  idol,  drove  the  caleza  containing  the  two 
ladies.  Dona  Serafiua,  overcome  by  her  own  stoutness 
and  the  intense  heat,  slept  heavily,  and  Jack,  riding  close 
to  the  carriage,  flirted  with  Dolores.  There  was  only  one 
inconvenience  about  this  arrangement — the  lovers  could 
not  kiss  one  another. 


DOLOEES.  89 

It  was  a  long  way  from  the  estancia,  but  Jack  wished  it 
was  longer,  so  delightful  was  his  conversation  with  Dolores. 
She  sat  in  the  caleza  flirting  her  big  fan,  and  cooing  like  a 
dove  when  her  lover  said  something  unusually  passionate. 
Sometimes  she  sent  a  flash  of  her  dark  eyes  through  the 
veil  of  her  mantilla,  and  then  Jack  felt  queer  sensations 
about  the  region  of  the  heart.  A  pleasant  situation,  yet 
tantalizing,  since  it  was  all  the  "thou  art  so  near  and  yet 
so  far"  business,  with  no  caresses  or  kisses.  When  the 
journey  came  to  an  end,  they  were  both  half  glad,  half 
sorry;  the  former  on  account  of  their  inability  to  come  to 
close  quarters,  the  latter  because  they  well  knew  they 
would  not  again  get  such  a  chance  of  unwatched  courting. 

Eulalia,  who  guessed  all  this  pleasantness,  received  her 
cousin  with  a  significant  smile,  and  took  her  off  to  talk 
over  the  matter  in  the  solitude  of  the  bedroom  they  shared 
together.  Don  Miguel  seized  on  his  sleepy  sister  in  order 
to  extract  from  her  a  trustworthy  report  as  to  how  tilings 
were  at  the  estancia,  and  Jack  departed  to  his  own  house 
to  announce  his  arrival  and  that  of  Dolores. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon,  for  the  journey,  commenc- 
ing at  dawn,  had  lasted  till  close  on  four  o'clock,  and  Jack 
found  his  three  friends  enjoying  their  siestas.  He  woke 
them  up,  and  began  to  talk  Dolores.  When  he  had  talked 
himself  hoarse,  and  Peter  asleep,  quoth  Philip: 

"  What  about  the  railway  works?  " 

"I  haven't  been  near  them,"  said  Jack,  innocently; 
whereat  Tim  and  Philip  laughed  so  heartily  that  they 
made  him  blush  and  awoke  Peter. 

""What  are  you  talking  about?"  asked  Peter,  sleepily. 

"Jack's  love  affairs,"  replied  Philip,  laughing. 

"And  by  the  same  token  we'll  soon  be  talking  of  your 
own,"  said  Tim,  cruelly.  "If  you  only  knew  the  way 
he's  been  carrying  on  with  the  black-eyed  colleen,  Jack!  " 

"Nonsense,"  retorted  Cassim,  reddening;  "I  walked 
about  Tlatonac  with  Don  Miguel  yesterday." 

"You  flirted  with  Eulalia  last  night,  anyhow." 

"Don't  be  jealous,  Tim.     It's  a  low-minded  vice." 

"  Oh,  so  that  is  the  way  the  wind  blows,  Philip,"  said 
Jack,  stretching  himself.  "  I  knew  you  would  fall  in  love 
with  Eulalia.  Now,  it's  no  use  protesting.  I  know  the 
signs  of  love,  because  I've  been  through  the  mill  myself." 


90  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  Two  days'  acquaintance,  and  you  say  I  love  the  girl! 
Try  again,  Jack." 

"Not  I!  Time  counts  for  naught  in  a  love  affair.  I 
fell  in  love  with  Dolores  in  two  minutes!" 

"Ah,  that's  the  way  with  us  all/'  said  Tim,  reflectively. 
"  When  I  was  in  Burmah,  there  was  a  girl  in  Mandalay — " 

"Tim,  we  don't  want  any  of  your  immoral  stories; 
you'll  shock  Peter.  Confound  him!  he's  asleep  again,  like 
the  fat  boy  in  Pickwick.  "Well,  gentlemen  both,  I  am 
about  to  follow  the  doctor's  example.  I've  been  riding  all 
day,  and  feel  baked." 

"How  long  do  you  intend  to  sleep,  Jack?" 

"  An  hour  or  so.  Then  we'll  have  something  to  eat,  and 
go  off  to  Maraquando's  to  see  the  ladies.  We  must  intro- 
duce Peter  to  his  future  wife." 

"Begad,  I  may  fall  in  love  wid  Dona  Serafina  mesilf!" 

"It's  possible,  if  you  are  an  admirer  of  the  antique," 
retorted  Jack,  and  went  off  to  his  bedroom  for  a  few 
hours'  sleep.  Even  lovers  require  rest,  and  bucketing 
about  on  a  half-broken  horse  for  the  best  part  of  the  day, 
under  a  grilling  sun,  was  calculated  to  knock  up  even  so 
tough  a  subject  as  Jack. 

"  Faith!  remarked  Tim,  when  Jack's  long  legs  vanished 
through  the  doorway,  "if  old  Serafina  smiles  on  Peter, 
and  them  girls  flirt  with  you  and  Jack,  I'll  be  left  out  in 
the  cold.  Another  injustice  to  Ireland." 

"  Come  to  the  alameda  to-morrow,  and  pick  out  a  senor- 
ita  to  be  your  own  private  property." 

"  What!  and  get  a  knife  in  my  ribs.  I'm  more  than 
seven,  Philip.  Why,  there  was  once  a  girl  in  Cape  Town 
who  had  a  Boer  for  a  sweetheart — " 

"  And  you  took  the  girl,  and  the  Boer  didn't  like  it.  I 
know  that  story,  Tim.  It's  a  chestnut.  You  told  it  in 
that  book  of  sketches  you  wrote.  Go  on  with  your  work; 
I'm  sleepy." 

"Ow — ow!"  yawned  Tim,  lazily.  "I'd  like  to  sleep 
myself,  but  that  I  have  to  write  up  this  interview  with 
Gomez.  Did  I  tell  you  about  it,  Philip?" 

"Yes;  you've  told  me  three  times,  and  given  three  dif- 
ferent versions.  Keep  the  fourth  for  The  Morninq 
Planet." 

"  But  the  President  said—" 


DOLORES.  91 

"I  know  all  about  that,"  muttered  Philip,  crossly. 
"  What  you  said — what  he  said — what  Maraquando  said — 
and  how  you  all  lied  against  one  another.  Do  let  us  sleep, 
Tim.  First  Jack,  then  you.  Upon  my — upon  my  word 
— upon — on — "  and  Philip  went  off  into  a  deep  slumber. 

"  I  hope  the  interview  wid  Gomez  won't  have  the  same 
effect  on  my  readers,"  said  Tim,  blankly,  to  himself,  "or 
it's  the  sack  I'll  be  getting.  Come  on  with  ye!  'There 
Avill  be  no  war,'  said  the  President.  That's  a  lie,  anyhow; 
but  he  said  it,  so  down  it  goes.  0  my  immortal  eoul, 
it's  a  liar  I  am." 

Then  he  began  scratching  the  paper  with  a  bad  pen,  and 
there  was  peace  in  the  land. 

That  night  they  duly  arrived  at  Maraquando's  house  in 
order  to  ask  how  politics  were  progressing.  This  was  the 
excuse  given  by  three  of  them;  but  it  was  false,  as  Tim 
well  knew.  He  alone  took  an  interest  in  politics.  Even 
Peter  had  ceased  to  care  about  Don  Hypolito  and  the 
opal  stone  and  the  possible  war.  He — under  orders  from 
Jack  and  Philip,  who  wanted  the  girls  to  themselves — 
made  himself  agreeable  to  Doila  Serafma.  Unaccustomed, 
by  reason  of  her  plain  looks,  to  such  attentions,  she 
enjoyed  the  novelty  of  the  thing  and  thought  this  fat  little 
Americano  delightful.  It  is  true  that  their  conversation 
was  mostly  pantomimic;  but  as  the  doctor  knew  a  few 
words  of  Spanish,  and  Serafina  had  learned  a  trifle  of 
English  from  Jack,  filtered  through  Dolores,  they  managed 
between  them  to  come  to  a  hazy  understanding  as  to  what 
they  were  talking  about. 

Never  till  that  moment  did  Philip  feel  the  infinite 
charm  of  that  languorous  Creole  life,  so  full  of  dreams 
and  idleness.  Sitting  beside  Eulalia  in  the  warm  gloom, 
he  listened  to  her  sparkling  conversation,  and  stared 
vaguely  at  the  beauty  of  the  scene  around  him.  In  the 
patio  all  was  moonlight  and  midnight — that  is  as  regards 
the  shadows,  for  the  hour  was  yet  early.  Here  and  there 
in  the  violet  sky  trembled  a  star  with  mellow  luster,  and 
the  keen,  cold  shafts  of  moonlight,  piercing  the  dusk, 
smote  the  flowers  and  tessellated  pavement  with  silver 
rays.  Pools  of  white  light  lay  on  the  floor,  welling  into 
the  shadow  even  to  the  little  feet  of  Eulalia.  The  court 
wore  that  unfamiliar  look,  so  mysterious,  so  Y/eird,  which 


92  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

only  comes  with  the  night  and  the  pale  moon.  And 
then — surely  that  was  music — the  trembling  note  of  a 
guitar  sounding  from  the  shadowy  corner  in  which  Jack 
and  Dolores  were  ensconced. 

In  the  glimmering  light  Philip  could  see  the  grotesque 
gestures  of  Serafina  and  the  doctor  as  they  pantomimed 
to  one  another  on  the  azotea,  and  the  red  tip  of  Miguel's 
cigar  as  he  strolled  up  and  down  on  the  flat  roof  talking 
seriously  with  Tim.  Through  the  warm  air,  heavy  with 
the  perfume  of  flowers,  floated  the  contralto  voice  of 
Dolores.  The  song  was  in  Spanish,  and  that  noble  tongue 
sounded  rich  and  full  over  the  sweeping  music  of  the 
guitar.  As  translated  afterward  by  Philip  (who  dabbled 
in  poetry),  the  words  ran  thus: 

In  Spain!  ah,  yes,  in  Spain! 

When  day  was  fading, 

I  heard  you  serenading, 
While  shed  the  moon  her  silver  rain. 
The  nightingale  your  song  was  aiding, 
My  tresses  dark  I  then  was  braiding, 
When  to  my  chamber  upward  springing 
There  came  the  burden  of  your  singing; 
Nor  was  that  singing  vain 
In  Spain,  dear  Spain. 

From  Spain !  yes,  far  from  Spain, 

We  two  now  wander; 

And  here  as  yonder 
A  hopeless  love  for  me  you  feign. 
Alas!  of  others  thou  art  fonder, 
And  I,  forsaken,  sit  and  ponder. 
Yet  once  a^ain  your  voice  is  ringing, 
I  hear  the  burden  of  that  singing. 
Alas!  I  fled  in  vain 
From  Spain,  dear  Spain, 

They  applauded  the  song  and  the  singer,  Jack  looking 
across  to  Philip  as  much  as  to  say,  "Isn't  she  an  angel?" 
If  Philip  thought  so,  he  did  not  say  so,  being  busy  with 
Eulalia.  They  were  talking  Chinese  metaphysics,  a  pleas- 
ant subject  to  discuss  with  a  pretty  girl  well  up  in  the 
intricacies  thereof.  As  to  Jack  and  his  angel! 

"  Querida,"  murmured  Dolores,  slipping  her  hand  into 
that  of  her  lover's  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  "how 
lonely  has  my  heart  been  without  thee." 


DOLOEES.  93 

"  Angelita,"  replied  Jack,  who  was  an  adept  at  saying 
pretty  things  in  Spanish,  "  I  left  behind  my  heart  when  I 
departed,  and  it  has  drawn  me  back  to  your  side." 

"Alas!  how  long  will  we  be  together,  Juan?  I  am 
afraid  of  this  war;  should  Don  Hypolito  conquer! "  Here 
she  paused  and  slightly  shuddered. 

"He  shall  not  conquer,  cara.  What  can  he  do  with  a 
few  adherents  against  the  power  of  the  Government?" 

"Still  the  Indians—" 

"You  are  afraid  they  will  join  with  him.  To  what 
end?  Xuarez  can  not  restore  the  worship  of  the  Chalchuih 
Tlatonac." 

"Juan!"  said  Dolores,  anxiously,  "it  is  not  of  Xuarez 
I  am  so  much  afraid  as  of  the  Indians.  If  there  is  a  war, 
they  may  carry  me  off." 

"Carry  you  off! "  repeated  Jack,  in  a  puzzled  tone  of 
voice.  "  Why,  how  could  they  do  that?  and  for  what  rea- 
son?" 

"They  could  do  it  easily  by  some  subtle  device;  bolts 
and  bars  and  walled  towns  are  nothing  to  them  when  they 
set  their  hearts  on  anything.  And  they  would  carry  me 
away  because  I  am  the  guardian  of  the  Chalchuih  Tla- 
tonac." 

"Who  told  you  this?" 

"Cocom." 

"  But  he  does  not  worship  the  opal  or  the  old  gods.  He 
is  a  devout  Catholic." 

"  So  says  Padre  Ignatius;  but  I  think  he  is  one  of  those 
who  go  to  the  forest  sanctuary.  He  knows  much." 

"  And  says  nothing.  It  is  death  for  him  to  betray  the 
secrets  of  that  Aztec  worship." 

"  Listen,  Juan,  alma  de  mi  alma.  The  life  of  Cocom 
was  saved  by  my  Uncle  Miguel,  and  with  him  gratitude  is 
more  powerful  than  religion.  He  told  me  while  you  were 
away  tbat  the  opal  has  prophesied  war,  and  on  that  account 
the  Indians  are  alarmed  for  me.  Should  there  be  no 
guardian  of  the  opal,  Huitzilopochtli  will  be  angry;  and  lest 
I  should  be  killed  in  the  Avar,  as  soon  as  the  revolt  takes 
place  the  Indians  will  carry  me  for  safety  into  the  heart  of 
the  country;  into  those  trackless  forest  depths  more  pro- 
found than  the  sea." 

"  They  shall  never  do  so  while  I  am  at  hand/'  said  Jack, 


94  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

fiercely;  "  but  I  don't  believe  this  story  of  Cocom's.  You 
can  not  be  in  such  danger." 

"  I  am  afraid  it  is  true;  besides,  that  is  not  the  only 
danger — Don  Hypolito!  " 

"What  of  him?" 

"  He  wishes  to  marry  me,  Juan." 

Duval  laughed  softly,  and  pressed  the  little  hand  that  lay 
within  his  own. 

"  You  talk  ancient  history,  querida;  I  thought  we  set- 
tled that  I  was  to  be  the  favored  one." 

"It  is  true!  Ah,  yes,  thee  alone  do  I  love,"  whispered 
Dolores,  tenderly;  "  but  when  you  departed,  Juan,  he  came 
to  me,  this  Don  Hypolito,  and  spoke  of  love." 

"  Confound  his  impudence! "  muttered  Jack,  in  English. 

"What  say  you,  Juan?  Oh,  it  was  terrible!  He  said 
if  I  became  not  his  wife  that  he  would  plunge  the  country 
into  war.  I  did  not  believe  that  he  could  do  so  or  would 
dare  to  do  so.  I  refused.  Then  he  spoke  of  my  love  for 
you,  and  swore  to  kill  you." 

"  He'll  have  to  catch  me  first,  Dolores." 

"  '  There  will  be  war,'  said  this  terrible  one,  '  and  I  will 
tear  down  the  walls  of  Tlatonac  to  seize  yon.  This  Ameri- 
cano will  I  slay  and  give  his  body  to  the  dogs."; 

"All  idle  talk,  mi  cara,"  said  Duval,  scornfully;  "I 
can  protect  myself  and  you.  What  more  did  he  say?" 

"  Little  more;  but  it  was  the  same  kind  of  talk.  When 
he  departed,  I  spoke  to  my  uncle;  but  Don  Hypolito  had 
by  that  time  gone  to  Acauhtzin." 

"  Was  Don  Miguel  angry?" 

"Very  angry!  But  he  could  do  nothing.  Don  Hypo- 
lito was  far  away  on  the  waters." 

"  And  will  return  with  fire  and  blood,"  said  Jack, 
gloomily;  "  but  never  fear,  Dolores.  My  friends  and 
myself  will  protect  you  from  this  insolent  one.  If  we  are 
conquered,  we  will  fly  to  my  own  land  in  the  vessel  of 
Don  Felipe!" 

"But  what  of  Eulalia?" 

"Ah!"  replied  her  lover,  waggishly,  "I  think  you  can 
trust  Don  Felipe  to  look  after  Eulalia." 

"  Do  you  think  there  will  be  a  war,  Juan?" 

"  It  looks  like  it.  However,  we  will  know  for  certain 
when  the  messenger  comes  back  from  Acauhtzin," 


toOLORES.  95 

"Yes;  my  uncle  told  mo  the  boat  had  gone  up  to-day 
to  bid  the  fleet  return." 

"  A  Avilcl-goose  chase  only/'  thought  Jack,  but  held  his 
peace  lest  he  should  alarm  Dolores. 

Fearful  of  attracting  her  uncle's  attention  by  speaking 
too  much  to  Jack,  the  Spanish  beauty  crossed  over  to 
where  Philip  and  Eulalia  were  sitting. 

"  Senor  Felipe!  "said  Dolores,  gaily,  "  wherefore  do  you 
laugh?" 

"  It  is  at  Don  Pedro  and  my  good  aunt,"  replied  Eulalia, 
before  Philip  could  speak.  "  Behold  them,  Dolores, 
making  signs  like  wooden  puppets." 

Dolores  turned  her  eyes  toward  the  couple  leaning  over 
the  azotea  railing,  and  began  to  laugh  also.  Then  Jack 
came  over  and  demanded  to  be  informed  of  the  joke.  He 
was  speedily  informed  of  the  performance  going  on  above; 
so  that  the  two  actors  had  quite  an  audience,  although 
they  knew  it  not.  Indeed  the  affair  was  sufficiently 
grotesque.  It  was  like  a  game  of  dumb  crambo,  as  Peter 
acted  a  word  and  the  old  lady  tried  to  guess  his  meaning. 

For  instance,  wishing  to  tell  her  how  he  captured  butter- 
flies, Peter  wagged  his  hands  in  the  air  to  indicate  the 
flight  of  insects,  then  struck  at  a  phantom  beetle  with  an 
imaginary  net. 

"  Pajaros!"  guessed  Dona  Serafina,  wrongly.  Peter  did 
not  know  this  was  the  Spanish  for  "birds,"  and  thought 
she  had  caught  his  meaning.  The  lady  thought  so  too, 
and  was  delighted  with  her  own  perspicuity. 

"  Bueno,  Sefiorl     You  catch  birds!     To  eat?" 

She  imitated  eating,  whereon  Peter  shook  his  head, 
though  he  was  not  quite  sure  if  the  Cholacacans  did  not 
eat  beetles.  Foreigners  had  so  many  queer  customs. 

Seeing  Peter  misunderstood.  Dona  Serafina  skipped 
lightly  across  the  azotea,  flapping  her  arms  and  singing. 
Then  she  turned  toward  the  doctor,  and  nodded  encourag- 
ingly. 

"  Birds!  "  she  said,  confidently.     "You  eat  them?" 

Now  Peter  knew  that  "comida"  meant  eating;  but, 
quite  certain  that  Dona  Serafina  did  not  devour  beetles, 
set  himself  to  work  to  show  her  what  he  really  meant.  He 
ran  after  imaginary  butterflies  round  the  azotea,  and  in  his 
ardor  bumped  up  against  Tim. 


96  THE   HABLEQUIN    OPAL. 

"What  the  devil  are  you  after?"  said  Tim,  displeased 
at  his  conversation  with  Maraquando  being  interrupted. 
"Why  can't  you  behave  yourself,  you  ill-conducted  little 
person." 

"Do  they  eat  beetles  here?"  asked  Peter,  eagerly. 

"Beetles!  they'd  be  thin  if  they  did,"  said  Tim,  dryly. 
"I  don't  know.  Do  you  eat  beetles,  Senor?"  he  added, 
turning  to  Don  Miguel. 

The  Spaniard  made  a  gesture  of  disgust,  and  looked 
inquiringly  at  his  sister. 

"Los  pajaros,"  explained  Dona  Serafma,  smiling. 

"Oh,  'tis  birds  she's  talking  about!" 

"Birds!"  replied  the  doctor,  blankly.  "I  thought  1 
showed  her  butterflies.  This  way,"  and  he  began  hovering 
round  again. 

Tim  roared. 

"  They'll  think  you  have  gone  out  of  what  little  mind 
you  possess,  Peter ! " 

"Ah,  pobrecito,"  said  Serafina,  when  the  meaning  of 
the  pantomime  was  explained,  "  I  thought  he  was  playing 
at  a  flying  bird." 

"You'll  never  make  your  salt  as  an  actor,  Peter," jeered 
Tim,  as  they  all  laughed  over  the  mistake.  "  I'd  better 
call  up  Philip  and  Jack  to  keep  you  straight.  Jack,  come 
up  here,  and  bring  Philip  with  you." 

"All  right,"  replied  Jack,  from  the  depths  below,  where 
they  had  been  watching  the  performance  with  much 
amusement;  "  we  are  coming." 

The  quartette  soon  made  their  appearance  in  the  azotea, 
where  Peter's  mistake  was  explained. 

"Do  it  again,  Peter,"  entreated  Philip,  laughing;  "3^011 
have  no  idea  how  funny  you  look  flopping  about! " 

"  I  shan't,"  growled  the  doctor,  ruffled.  "Why  can't 
they  talk  English?" 

"Doila  Dolores  can  talk  a  little,"  said  Jack,  proudly. 
"  Senorita,  talk  to  my  friend  in  his  own  tongue." 

"  It  is  a  nice  day,"  repeated  Dona  Dolores,  slowly;  "  'ow 
do  you  do?" 

"Quite  well,  thank  you,"  replied  Peter,  politely; 
whereat  his  friends  laughed  again  in  the  most  unfeeling 
manner. 

"  Oh,  you  can  laugh,"  said  Peter,  indignantly;  "but  if 


DOLORES.  97 

I  were  in  love  with  a  girl  I  would  teach  her  some  better 
words  than  about  the  weather  and  how  do  you  do!" 

"I  have  done  so/"  replied  Jack,  quietly;  "'but  those 
words  are  for  private  use." 

At  this  moment  Dolores,  laughing  behind  her  fan,  was 
speaking  to  Dona  Serafina,  who  thereupon  advanced 
toward  Peter. 

"  I  can  speak  to  the  Americano,"  she  announced  to  the 
company;  then,  fixing  Peter  with  her  eye,  said,  with  a 
tremendous  effort,  "Darling!" 

"Oh! "said  the  modest  Peter,  taken  aback,  "she  said 
'  darling'!" 

"Darling!"  repeated  Serafina,  who  was  evidently  quite 
ignorant  of  the  meaning. 

"  That's  one  of  the  words  for  private  use,  eh,  Jack?" 
laughed  Philip,  quite  exhausted  with  merriment.  "A 
very  good  word.  I  must  teach  it  to  Dona  Eulalia." 

"  It's  too  bad  of  you,  Dofia  Dolores,"  said  Jack,  reproach- 
fully; whereat  Dolores  laughed  again  at  the  success  of  her 
jest. 

"  Did  the  Senor  have  good  sport  with  Cocom,"  asked 
Don  Miguel,  somewhat  bewildered  at  all  this  laughter,  the 
cause  of  which,  ignorant  as  he  was  of  English,  he  could  not 
understand. 

"Did  you  have  a  good  time,  Peter,"  translated  Tim, 
fluently,  "with  the  beetles?" 

"Oh,  splendid!  tell  him  splendid!  I  captured  some 
Papilionidce  and  a  beautiful  little  glow-worm;  one  of 
the  ElateridcB  species,  and— 

"  I  can't  translate  all  that  jargon,  you  fat  little  hum- 
ming-bird! He  had  good  sport,  Senor,"  he  added,  sud- 
denly turning  to  Don  Miguel. 

"Bueno!"  replied  the  Spaniard,  gravely;  "it  is  well." 

It  was  no  use  trying  to  carry  on  a  common  conversation, 
as  the  party  invariably  split  up  into  pairs.  Dolores  and 
Eulalia  were  already  chatting  confidentially  to  their  ad- 
mirers. Dona  Serafina  began  to  make  more  signs  to  Peter, 
with  the  further  addition  of  a  parrot-cry  of  "Darling," 
and  Tim  found  himself  once  more  alone  with  Don  Miguel. 

"I  have  written  out  my  interview  with  the  President," 
he    said,    slowly;    "and  it  goes  to   England  to-morrow. 
Would  you  like  to  see  it  first,  Senor  ?  " 
1 


98  THE   HAKLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"If  it  so  pleases  you,  Senor  Corresponsal." 

"  Good!  then  I  will  bring  it  with  me  to-morrow  morning- 
Has  that  steamer  gone  to  Acauhtzin  yet?" 

"This  afternoon  it  departed,  Senor.  It  will  return  in 
two  days  with  the  fleet." 

"I  hope  so,  Don  Miguel,  but  I  am  not  very  certain, " 
replied  Tim,  significantly.  "His  Excellency  Gomez  does 
not  seem  very  sure  of  the  fleet's  fidelity,  either." 

"  There  are  many  rumors  in  Tlatonac,"  said  Mara- 
quando,  impatiently.  "All  lies  spread  by  the  Oposidores 
— by  Xuarez  and  his  gang.  I  fear  the  people  are  becoming 
alarmed.  The  army,  too,  talk  of  Avar.  Therefore,  to  set 
all  these  matters  at  rest,  to-morrow  evening  his  Excellency 
the  President  will  address  the  Tlatonacians  at  the  alameda." 

"Why  atthealameda?" 

"  Because  most  of  them  will  be  assembled  there  at  the 
twilight  hour,  Senor.  It  is  to  be  a  public  speech  to 
inspire  our  people  with  confidence  in  the  Government,  else 
would  the  meeting  be  held  in  the  great  hall  of  the  Palacio 
Nacional." 

"  I  would  like  to  hear  Don  Francisco  Gomez  speak,  so  I 
and  my  friends  will  be  at  the  alameda." 

"You  will  come  with  me,  Senor  Corresponsal,"  said 
Miguel,  politely;  "my  daughter,  niece,  and  sister  are  also 
coming." 

"The  more  the  merrier!  It  will  be  quite  a  party, 
Senor." 

"  It  is  a  serious  position  we  are  in,"  said  Marac|uando, 
gravely;  "  and  I  trust  the  word  of  his  Excellency  will  show 
the  Tlatonacians  that  there  is  nothing  to  be  feared  from 
Don  Hypolito." 

At  this  moment  Dona  Serafina,  who  had  swooped  down 
on  her  charges,  appeared  to  say  good-night.  Both  Dolores 
and  Eulalia  were  unwilling  to  retire  so  early,  but  their 
aunt  was  adamant,  and  they  knew  that  nothing  could 
change  her  resolution,  particularly  as  she  had  grown 
weary  of  fraternizing  with  Peter. 

"  Bueno  noche  tenga,  Ven,"  said  Dona  Serafina, 
politely,  and  her  salutation  was  echoed  by  the  young  ladies 
in  her  wake. 

"  Con  dios  va  usted,  Senora,"  replied  Tim,  kissing  the 
old  lady's  extended  hand,  after  which  they  withdrew. 


DOLORES.  99 

Dolores  managed  to  flash  a  tender  glance  at  Jack  as  they 
descended  into  the  patio,  and  Philip,  leaning  over  the 
balustrade  of  the  azotea,  caught  a  significant  wave  of 
Eulalia's  fan,  which  meant  a  good  deal.  Cassim  knew 
all  those  minute  but  eloquent  signs  of  love. 

Shortly  afterward  they  also  took  their  leave,  after  refus- 
ing Maraquando's  hospitable  offer  of  pulque. 

"No,  sir,"  said  Tim,  as  they  went  off  to  their  own 
mansion;  "  not  while  there  is  good  whisky  to  be  had/' 

"But  pulque  isn't  bad,"  protested  Jack,  more  for  the 
sake  of  saying  something  than  because  he  thought  so. 

"  Well,  drink  it  yourself,  Jack,  and  leave  us  the  crather! " 

"Talking  about  'crathers,'"  said  Philip,  mimicking 
Tim's  brogue,  "  what  do  you  think  of  Dona  Serafina, 
Peter?" 

"  A  nice  old  lady,  but  not  beautiful.  I  would  rather  be 
with  Dona  Eulalia." 

"Would  you,  indeed!"  retorted  Cassim,  indignantly. 
"As  if  she  would  understand  those  idiotic  signs  you 
make." 

"  They  are  quite  intelligible  to — " 

"Be  quiet,  boys!"  said  Tim,  as  they  stopped  at  the  door 
of  Jacks  house;  "you'll  get  plenty  of  fighting  without 
starting  it  now.  There's  going  to  be  a  Home  Rule  meeting 
to-morrow." 

"Where,  Tim?" 

"In  the  alameda,  no  less.  His  Excellency  the  Lord- 
Lieutenant  is  to  speak  to  the  crowd." 

"  He'll  tell  them  a  lot  of  lies,  I  expect,"  said  Jack,  sagely. 
"  Well,  he  can  say  what  he  jolly  well  pleases.  I'll  lay  any 
odds  that  before  the  week's  out  war  will  be  proclaimed." 

He  was  a  truer  prophet  than  he  thought. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


VIVA   EL  EEPUBLICA. 

No  king  have  we  with  golden  crown, 
To  tread  the  sovereign  people  down; 

All  men  are  equal  in  our  sight; 
The  ruler  ranks  but  with  the  clown. 

Our  symbol  is  the  opal  bright, 
Which  darts  its  rays  of  rainbow  light, 

Prophetic  of  all  coming  things, 
Of  blessing,  war,  disaster,  blight. 

Red  glow  abroad  the  opal  flings, 
To  us  the  curse  of  war  it  brings; 

And  evil  days  there  soon  shall  be, 
Beneath  the  war-god's  dreaded  wings. 

Yet  knowing  what  we  soon  shall  see, 
We'll  boldly  face  this  misery, 

And  fight,  though  dark  our  fortunes  frown, 
For  life,  and  home,  and  liberty. 

Padre  Ignatius  always  said  that  his  flock  were  true  and 
devout  Catholics,  who  believed  in  what  they  ought  tft 
believe.  Strictly  speaking,  the  flock  of  Padre  Ignatius 
was  limited  to  the  congregation  of  a  little  adobe  church  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  town,  but  his  large  heart  included  the 
whole  population  of  Tlatonac  in  that  ecclesiastical  appella- 
tion. Every  one  knew  the  Padre  and  every  one  loved  him, 
Jesuit  though  he  was.  For  fifty  years  had  he  labored  in 
the  vineyard  of  Tlatonac,  but  when  his  fellow-laborers 
were  banished,  the  Government  had  not  the  heart  to  bid 
him  go.  So  he  stayed  on,  the  only  representative  of  his 
order  in  all  Cholacaca,  and  prayed  and  preached  and  did 
charitable  works,  as  had  been  his  custom  these  many  years 
past.  With  his  thin,  worn  face,  rusty  cassock,  slouch  hat, 
and  kindly  smile,  Padre  Ignatius,  wonderfully  straight 
considering  his  seventy  years,  attended  to  the  spiritual 
wants  of  his  people,  and  said  they  were  devout  Catholics. 
He  always  overestimated  human  nature,  did  the  Padre. 

(100) 


VIVA    EL   REPUBLICA.  101 

So  far  as  the  Padre  saw,  this  might  have  been  the  case; 
and,  nobody  having  the  heart  to  deceive  him,  he  grew  to 
believe  that  these  half -civilized  savages  were  Christians  to 
the  bone;  but  there  was  no  doubt  that  nine  out  of  every 
ten  in  his  flock  were  very  black  sheep  indeed.  They 
would  kneel  before  the  gaudy  shrine  of  the  adobe  chapel, 
and  say  an  Ave  for  every  bead  of  the  rosary,  but  at  one 
time  or  another  every  worshiper  was  missing,  each  in  his 
or  her  turn.  They  had  been  to  the  forest  for  this  thing, 
for  that  thing;  they  had  been  working  on  the  railway  fifty 
miles  inland  or  fishing  some  distance  up  the  coast.  Such 
were  the  excuses  they  gave,  and  Padre  Ignatius,  simple- 
hearted  soul,  believed  them,  never  dreaming  that  they  had 
been  assisting  in  the  worship  of  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac  in 
the  hidden  temple  of  Huitzilopochtli. 

The  belief  in  the  devil  stone  was  universal  throughout 
Cholacaca.  Not  only  did  the  immediate  flock  of  Padre 
Ignatius  revere  it  as  a  symbol  of  the  war-god,  but  every 
person  in  the  Eepublic  who  had  Indian  blood  in  his  or  her 
veins  firmly  believed  that  the  sbining  precious  stone  exer- 
cised a  power  over  the  lives  and  fortunes  of  all.  Nor  was 
such  veneration  to  be  wondered  at,  considering  how  closely 
the  history  of  the  great  gem  was  interwoven  with  that  of 
the  country.  The  shrine  of  the  opal  had  stood  where  now 
arose  the  cathedral;  the  Indian  appellation  of  the  jewel 
had  given  its  name  to  the  town;  and  the  picture  represen- 
tation of  the  gem  itself  was  displayed  on  the  yellow  stand- 
ard of  the  Republic.  Hardly  any  event,  since  the  founda- 
tion of  the  city,  could  be  mentioned  with  which  the  Harle- 
quin Opal  was  not  connected  in  some  way.  It  was  still 
adored  in  the  forest  temple  by  thousands  of  worshipers, 
and,  unknown  as  it  was  to  the  padres,  there  were  few 
peons,  leperos,  or  mestizos  who  had  not  seen  the  gem  flash 
on  the  altar  of  the  god.  Cholacacans  of  pure  Spanish 
blood  alone  refrained  from  actual  worship  of  the  devil 
stone,  and  even  these  were  more  or  less  tinctured  with  the 
superstition.  It  is  impossible  to  escape  the  influence  of  an 
all-prevailing  idea,  particularly  in  a  country  not  quite 
veneered  by  civilization. 

On  this  special  evening,  when  President  Gomez  was  to 
address  the  populace,  and  assure  them  that  there  would  be 
no  war,  the  alameda  presented  an  unusually  lively  appear- 
7 


102  THE  HARLEQUIH  OPAL. 

aiice.  It  had  been  duly  notified  that  his  Excellency 
would  make  a  speech  on  the  forthcoming  crisis,  hence  the 
alameda  was  crowded  with  people  anxious  to  hear  the 
official  opinion  of  the  affair.  The  worst  of  it  was,  had 
Gomez  but  known  it,  that  the  public  mind  was  already 
made  up.  There  was  to  be  war,  and  that  speedily,  for  a 
rumor  had  gone  forth  from  the  sanctuary  of  the  opal  that 
the  gem  was  burning  redly  as  a  beacon-fire.  Every  one 
believed  that  this  forboded  war,  and  Gomez,  hoping  to 
assure  the  Tlatonacians  of  peace,  might  as  well  have  held 
his  tongue.  They  would  not  believe  him,  as  the  opal 
stone  had  prophesied  a  contrary  opinion.  But  beyond  an 
idle  whisper  or  so,  Gomez  did  not  know  this  thing,  there- 
fore he  came  to  the  alameda  and  spoke  encouragingly  to 
the  people. 

From  all  quarters  of  the  town  came  the  inhabitants  to 
the  alameda,  and  the  vast  promenade  presented  a  singu- 
larly gay  appearance.  The  national  costumes  of  Spanish 
America  were  wonderfully  picturesque,  and  what  with  the 
background  of  green  trees,  sparkling  fountains,  brilliant 
flower-beds,  and  over  all  the  violet  tints  of  the  twilight, 
Philip  found  the  scene  sufficiently  charming.  He  was 
walking  beside  Jack,  in  default  of  Eulalia,  who,  in  com- 
pany with  Dolores,  marched  demurely  beside  Dona 
Serafina.  This  was  a  public  place,  the  eyes  of  Tlatonac 
gossips  were  sharp,  their  tongues  were  bitter,  so  it 
behooved  discreet  young  ladies  as  these  to  keep  their  ad- 
mirers at  a  distance.  In  the  patio  it  was  quite  different. 

Tim  had  gone  off  with  Don  Miguel,  to  attach  himself  to 
the  personal  staff  of  the  President,  and  take  shorthand 
notes  of  the  speech.  It  had  been  the  intention  of  Peter  to 
follow  his  Irish  friend,  but  unfortunately  he  lost  him  in 
the  crowd,  and  therefore  returned  to  the  side  of  Philip, 
who  caught  sight  of  him  at  once. 

"  Where's  Tim?  "  asked  the  baronet,  quickly;  "  gone  off 
with  Don  Miguel?" 

"Yes;  to  the  Palacio  Nacional." 

"  I  thought  you  were  going?  " 

"  I  lost  sight  of  them." 

"  An  excuse,  Peter,"  interposed  Jack,  with  a  twinkle  in 
his  eye.  "You  remained  behind  to  look  at  the  senoritas," 

Peter  indignantly  repudiated  the  idea. 


VIVA    EL   REPUBLICA.  103 

"  His  heart  is  true  to  his  Poll,"  said  Philip,  soothingly; 
"  thereby  meaning  Dona  Serafina.  Darling!  " 

Philip  mimicked  the  old  lady's  pronunciation  of  the 
word,  and  Jack  laughed;  not  so  Peter. 

"How  you  do  go  on  about  Dona  Serafina?"  he  said, 
fretfully.  "After  all,  she  is  not  so  very  ugly,  though  she 
may  not  have  the  thirty  points  of  perfection." 

"  Eh,  Peter!  I  didn't  know  you  were  learned  in  such  gal- 
lantries; and  what  are  the  thirty  points  of  perfection?" 

"The  doctor  was  about  to  reply,  when  Cocom,  wrapped 
in  his  zarape,  passed  slowly  by,  and  took  off  his  sombrero 
to  the  party. 

"  A  dios,  Sefiores,"  said  Cocom,  gravely. 

"  Our  Indian  friend,"  remarked  Jack,  with  a  smile. 
"  Ven  aca,  Cocom!  Have  you  come  to  hear  the  assurance 
of  peace." 

"There  will  be  no  peace,  Sefior  Juan.  I  am  old,  very 
old,  and  I  can  see  into  the  future.  It  is  war  I  see;  the  war 
of  Acauhtzin." 

"  Ah!  Is  that  your  own  prophecy  or  that  of  the  Chal- 
chuih  Tlatonac." 

"  I  know  nothing  of  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac,  Don  Juan," 
replied  Cocom,  who  always  assumed  the  role  of  a  devout 
Catholic;  "  but  I  hear  many  things.  Ah,  yes,  I  hear  that 
the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac  is  glowing  as  a  red  star." 

"  And  that  means  war! " 

"It  means  war,  Sefior,  and  war  there  will  be.  The 
Chalchuih  Tlatonac  never  deceives.  Con  dios  va  usted, 
Sefior. " 

"Humph! "said  Jack,  thoughtfully,  as  Cocom  walked 
slowly  away;  "so  that  is  the  temper  of  the  people,  is  it? 
The  opal  says  war.  In  that  case  it  is  no  use  Gomez  saying 
peace,  for  they  will  not  believe  him." 

During  this  conversation  with  the  Indian,  Philip  had 
gone  on  with  Peter,  so  as  to  keep  the  ladies  in  sight. 
Jack  pushed  his  way  through  the  crowd  and  found  them 
seated  near  the  band -stand,  from  which  the  President  was 
to  deliver  his  speech.  As  yet,  however,  his  Excellency 
had  not  arrived,  and  the  bands  were  playing  music  of  a 
lively  description,  principally  national  airs,  as  Gomez 
wished  to  arouse  the  patriotism  of  the  Tlatonacians. 

The  throng  of  people  round  the  band-stand  was  increas- 


104  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

ing  every  moment.  It  was  composed  of  all  sorts  and  con- 
ditions of  men  and  women,  from  delicate  senoritas,  draped 
in  lace  mantillas,  to  brown-faced  Indian  women,  with  fat 
babies  on  their  backs;  gay  young  hidalgos  in  silver-but- 
toned buckskin  breeches,  white  ruffled  shirts,  and  short 
jackets,  and  smart  military  men  in  the  picturesque  green 
uniform  of  the  Republic.  All  the  men  had  cigarettes,  all 
the  women  fans,  and  there  was  an  incessant  chatter  of 
voices  as  both  sexes  engaged  in  animated  conversation  on 
the  burning  subject  of  the  hour.  Here  and  there  moved 
the  neveros  with  their  stock  of  ice-creams,  grateful  to 
thirsty  people  on  that  sultry  night;  the  serenos  keeping 
order  among  the  Indians  with  their  short  staves,  and  many 
water-carriers  with  their  leather  clothes  and  crocks.  Above 
the  murmur  of  conversation  arose  the  cries  of  these  per- 
ambulating traders.  "Tortillas  de  cuajuda,"  "Boca- 
dillo  de  Coco,"  and  all  the  thousand  and  one  calls 
announcing  the  quality  of  their  goods. 

Many  of  the  ladies  were  driving  in  carriages,  and  beside 
them  rode  caballeros,  mounted  on  spirited  horses,  exchang- 
ing glances  with  those  whom  they  loved.  The  air  of  the 
alameda  was  full  of  intrigue  and  subtle  understandings. 
The  wave  of  a  fan,  the  glance  of  a  dark  eye,  the  dropping 
of  a  handkerchief,  the  removal  of  a  sombrero,  all  the  mute 
signs  which  pass  between  lovers  who  dare  not  speak;  and 
everywhere  the  jealous  watching  of  husbands,  the  keen 
eyes  of  vigilant  duennas. 

"It  is  very  like  the  Puerta  del  Sol,  in  Madrid,"  said 
Philip,  in  a  low  whisper,  as  he  stood  beside  Eulalia;  "  the 
same  crowd,  the  same  brilliance,  the  same  hot  night  and 
tropic  sky.  Upon  my  word,  there  is  but  little  difference 
between  the  Old  Spain  and  the  New." 

"Ah! "sighed  Eulalia,  adjusting  her  mantilla;  "how 
delightful  it  must  be  in  Madrid ! " 

"  Not  more  delightful  than  here,  Senorita.  At  least,  I 
think  so — now." 

Eulalia  cast  an  anxious  glance  at  her  duenna,  and  made 
a  covert  sign  behind  her  fan  for  him  to  be  silent. 

"  Speak  to  my  aunt,  Don  Felipe!" 

"I  would  rather  speak  to  you,"  hinted  Philip,  with  a 
grimace. 


txmntry? 


/an  ^oung  ladies  speak  to  whom  they  please  in  your 


VIVA    EL   REPUBLICA.  105 

"I  should  rather  think  so.  In  my  country  the  ladies 
are  quite  as  independent  as  the  gentlemen,  if  not  more 
so." 

"  Oh,  oh!     El  viento  que  corre  es  algo  fresquito." 

"  The  wind  which  blows  is  a  little  fresh/'  translated 
Philip  to  himself;  "  I  suppose  that  is  the  Spanish  for  ( I 
don't  believe  you/  But  it  is  true,  Senorita,"  he  added, 
quickly,  in  her  own  tongue;  "you  will  see  it  for  yourself 
some  day." 

"I  fear  not.  There  is  no  chance  of  my  leaving  Tla- 
tonac." 

"  Who  knows?"  replied  Philip,  with  a  meaning  glance. 

Eulalia  cast  down  her  eyes  in  pretty  confusion.  Decid- 
edly this  Americano  was  delightful,  and  remarkably  hand- 
some; but  then  he  said  such  dreadful  things.  If  Dona 
Serafina  heard  them — Eulalia  turned  cold  at  the  idea  of 
what  that  vigorous  lady  would  say. 

'"  Bueno! "  chattered  the  duenna  at  this  moment;  "  they 
are  playing  the  '  Fandango  of  the  Opal."' 

This  was  a  local  piece  of  music  much  in  favor  with  the 
Tlatonacians,  and  was  supposed  to  represent  the  Indian 
sacred  dance  before  the  shrine  of  the  gem.  As  the  first 
note  struck  their  ears,  the  crowd  applauded  loudly,  for  it 
was,  so  to  speak,  the  national  anthem  of  Cholacaca.  Before 
the  band-stand  was  a  clear  space  of  ground,  and,  inspired 
by  the  music,  two  Mestizos,  man  and  woman,  sprang  into 
the  open,  and  began  to  dance  the  fandango.  The  onlook- 
ers were  delighted,  and  applauded  vehemently. 

They  were  both  handsome  young  people,  dressed  in  the 
national  costume,  the  girl  looking  especially  picturesque 
with  her  amber-colored  short  skirt,  her  gracefully  draped 
mantilla,  and  enormous  black  fan.  The  young  fellow  had 
castanets,  which  clicked  sharply  to  the  rhythm  of  the 
music  as  they  whirled  round  one  another  like  Bacchantes. 
The  adoration  of  the  opal,  the  reading  of  the  omen,  the 
foretelling  of  successful  love,  all  were  represented  marvel- 
ously  in  wonderful  pantomime.  Then  the  dancers  flung 
themselves  wildly  about  with  waving  arms  and  mad  gest- 
ures, wrought  up  to  a  frenzy  by  the  inspiriting  music. 
Indeed,  the  audience  caught  the  contagion,  and  began  to 
sing  the  words  of  the  opal  song: 


106  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

Breathe  not  a  vrord  while  the  future  divining, 
True  speaks  the  stone  as  the  star  seers  above, 

Green  as  the  ocean  the  opal  is  shining, 
Green  is  prophetic  of  hope  and  of  love. 

Kneel  at  the  shrine  while  the  future  discerning, 
See  how  the  crimson  ray  strengthens  and  glows; 

Red  as  the  sunset  the  opal  is  burning, 
Red  is  prophetic  of  death  to  our  foes. 

At  tliis  moment  the  carriage  of  the  President,  escorted 
by  a  troop  of  cavalry,  arrived  at  the  band-stand.  The 
soldiers,  in  light  green  uniforms,  with  high  buff  boots, 
scarlet  waistbands,  and  brown  sombreros,  looked  particu- 
larly picturesque;  but  the  short  figure  of  the  President, 
arrayed  in  plain  evening  dress,  appeared  rather  out  of  place 
amid  all  this  military  finery.  The  only  token  of  His  Ex- 
cellency's rank  was  a  broad  yellow  silk  ribbon,  embroidered 
with  the  opal,  which  he  wore  across  his  breast.  Miguel 
Maraquando  and  Tim  were  in  the  carriage  with  the  Presi- 
dent, and  the  Irishman  recognized  his  friends  with  a  wave 
of  his  hand. 

"  Tim  is  in  high  society/'  said  Peter,  with  a  grin.  "We 
will  have  to  call  him  Don  Tim  after  this." 

"We'll  call  you  'donkey'  after  this,  if  you  make  such 
idiotic  remarks/'  replied  Jack,  severely.  "  Be  quiet,  Doc- 
tor, and  listen  to  the  speechifying." 

The  President  was  received  with  acclamation  by  those  in 
the  alameda,  which  showed  that  Tlatonac  was  well  disposed 
toward  the  established  Government.  It  is  true  that  one  or 
two  friends  of  Xuarez  attempted  to  get  up  a  counter  dem- 
onstration; but  the  moment  they  began  hissing  and  shout- 
ing for  Don  Hypolito,  the  serenos  pounced  down  and 
marched  them  oil  in  disgrace.  His  Excellency,  attended 
by  Don  Miguel  and  several  other  members  of  the  Junta, 
came  forward,  hat  in  hand,  to  the  front  of  the  band-stand, 
and,  after  the  musicians  had  stopped  playing  the  "Fan- 
dango," began  to  speak.  Gomez  was  a  fat  little  man,  of 
no  very  striking  looks;  but  when  he  commenced  speaking 
his  face  glowed  with  enthusiasm,  and  his  rich,  powerful 
voice  reached  every  one  clearly.  The  man  was  a  born 
orator,  and  as  the  noble  tongue  of  Castile  rolled  in  sono- 
rous waves  from  his  mouth,  he  held  his  mixed  audience 
spellbound.  The  listeners  did  not  believe  in  his  assurances, 
but  they  were  fascinated  by  his  oratory. 


VIVA   EL   KEPUBLICA.  107 

It  was  a  sight  not  easily  forgotten.  The  warm  twilight, 
the  brilliant  equatorial  vegetation,,  the  equally  brilliant 
and  picturesque  crowd,  swaying  restlessly  to  and  fro;  far 
beyond,  through  a  gap  in  the  trees,  in  the  violet  atmos- 
phere, the  snow-clad  summit  of  Xicotencatl,  the  largest  of 
Cholacacan  volcanoes;  and  everywhere  the  vague  languor 
of  the  tropics.  Gomez,  a  black  figure  against  the  glitter- 
ing background  of  uniforms,  spoke  long  and  eloquently. 
He  assured  them  that  there  would  be  no  war.  Don 
Hypolito  Xuarez  had  no  supporters;  the  Junta  was  about 
to  banish  him  from  the  country;  the  prosperity  of  Chola- 
caca  was  fully  assured;  it  was  to  be  a  great  nation.  He 
said  many  other  pleasant  things,  which  nattered,  but 
deceived  not,  the  Tlatonacians. 

"  Yes,  Senores,"  thundered  the  President,  smiting  his 
breast,  "I,  who  stand  here — even  I,  Francisco  Gomez,  the 
representative  of  the  Republic  of  Cholacaca — tell  you  that 
our  land  still  rests,  and  shall  rest,  under  the  olive  tree  of 
peace.  We  banish  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez;  we  banish  all 
traitors  who  would  crush  the  sovereign  people.  The  rulers 
of  Cholacaca,  elected  by  the  nation,  are  strong  and  wise. 
They  have  foreseen  this  tempest,  and  by  them  it  will  be 
averted.  Believe  not,  my  fellow-countrymen,  the  lying 
rumors  of  the  streets!  I  tell  you  the  future  is  fair.  There 
will  be  no  war!" 

At  this  moment  he  paused  to  wipe  his  brow,  and  then, 
as  if  to  give  the  lie  to  his  assertion,  in  the  dead  silence 
which  followed  was  heard  the  distant  boom  of  a  cannon. 
Astonished  at  the  unfamiliar  sound,  the  Tlatonacians 
looked  at  one  another  in  horror.  Gomez  paused,  hand- 
kerchief in  hand,  with  a  look  of  wonderment  on  his  face. 
No  one  spoke,  no  one  moved;  it  was  as  though  the  whole 
of  that  assemblage  had  been  stricken  into  stone  by  some 
powerful  spell. 

In  the  distance  sounded  a  second  boom,  dull  and  men- 
acing; there  was  a  faint  roar  far  away  as  of  many  voices. 
It  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  those  in  the  alameda  began 
to  add  their  voices  to  the  din.  Was  the  city  being  shelled 
by  the  revolting  war-ships;  had  Don  Hypolito  surprised 
the  inland  walls  with  an  army  of  Indians?  Terror  was  on 
the  faces  of  all.  The  clamor  in  the  distance  came  nearer; 
waxed  loader.  A  cloud  of  dust  at  the  bend  of  the  avenue,, 


108  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

and  down  the  central  walk,  spurring  his  horse  to  its  full 
speed,  dashed  a  disheveled  rider.  The  horse  stopped 
dead  in  front  of  the  band-stand,  scattering  people  hither 
and  thither  like  wind-driven  chaff;  a  young  man  in  naval 
uniform  flung  himself  to  the  ground,  and  ran  up  to  the 
astonished  President. 

"  Your  Excellency,  the  fleet  have  revolted  to  Don  Hypo- 
lito  Xuarez!  He  is  intrenched  in  the  rebel  town  of 
Acauhtzin.  I  alone  have  escaped,  and  bring  you  news 
that  he  has  proclaimed  war  against  the  Republic!  " 

A  roar  of  rage  went  up  to  the  sky. 

"The  opal!  The  prophecy  of  the  Chalchuih  Tla- 
tonac!  "  cried  the  multitude.  "  Viva  el  Eepublica!  Death 
to  the  traitor  Xuarez !  " 

Gomez  was  listening  to  the  messenger,  who  talked  vol- 
ubly. Then  the  President  turned  toward  the  people,  and 
by  a  gesture  of  his  hand  enjoined  silence.  The  roar  at 
once  sank  to  a  low  murmur. 

"What  Don  Eafael  Maraquando  says  is  true,"  said 
Gomez,  loudly.  "This  traitor  Xuarez  has  seduced  the 
allegiance  of  the  fleet,  of  Acauhtzin.  The  Republic 
must  prepare  for  war — " 

He  could  speak  no  further,  for  his  voice  was  drowned  in 
the  savage  roaring  of  the  multitude.  Every  one  seemed  to 
have  gone  mad.  The  crowd  of  people  heaved  round  the 
band-stand  like  a  stormy  sea.  A  thousand  voices  cursed 
the  traitor  Xuarez,  lauded  the  Republic,  and  repeated  the 
prophecy  of  the  Harlequin  Opal.  The  whole  throng  was 
demoralized  by  the  news. 

"  War!  War!  To  Acauhtzin !  "  roared  the  throats  of  the 
mob.  "Death  to  Xuarez!  Viva  el  Republica!  Viva 
libertad ! " 

Gomez  made  a  sign  to  the  band,  which  at  once  burst  out 
into  the  ' '  Fandango  of  the  Opal. "  A  thousand  voices  began 
pinging  the  words;  a  thousand  people  began  to  dance 
wildly.  Ladies  waved  their  handkerchiefs;  men  shouted 
and  embraced  one  another;  and  amid  the  roar  of  the  mob 
and  the  blare  of  the  band,  Don  Francisco  Gomez  entered 
his  carriage  and  drove  away,  escorted  by  the  cavalry. 

Tim  fought  his  way  through  the  crowd  down  from  the 
band-stand,  and  reached  the  Maraquando  party,  where  he 
found  the  three  ladies,  more  excited  than  frightened,  stand- 


VIVA   EL  KEPUBLICA.  109 

(tig  for  safety  in  the  circle  formed  by  the  five  men.     Two 
of  the  men  were  embracing — Don  Miguel  and  his  son. 

'•It's  a  great  day  for  Cholacaca,"  cried  Tim,  excitedly. 
"  I  wouldn't  have  missed  it  for  a  fortune.  Viva  el  Repub- 
lica!  Ah,  Peter,  my  boy,  this  is  better  than  the  but- 
terflies." 

"My  son,  my  son!  how  did  you  escape?"  said  Don 
Miguel,  throwing  his  arms  round  Rafael's  neck. 

"  I  will  tell  you  all  at  the  house,  my  father,"  replied  the 
young  man.  "  Let  us  go  now  with  the  ladies  to  our  home. 
Sefiores,"  he  added,  turning  to  the  Englishmen,  "  you  will 
come,  too,  I  trust?" 

It  was  no  easy  matter  to  get  through  the  crowd,  but 
ultimately  the  five  men  managed  to  push  a  path  to  a  caleza 
for  the  ladies,  placed  them  therein,  and,  when  it  drove  off, 
hastened  themselves  to  the  Casa  Maraquando. 

The  whole  city  was  in  commotion.  In  the  Plaza  de  los 
Hombres  Ilustres  a  crowd  had  collected  to  salute  the  great 
yellow  standard  of  the  Republic,  which  streamed  from  the 
tower  of  the  Palacio  Nacional. 

"The  opal!  The  opal!  The  prophecy  of  the  Tlatonac 
Ohalchuih,"  roared  the  crowd,  stamping  and  yelling. 

"  They  will  believe  in  that  stone  more  than  ever  now," 
whispered  Philip  to  Jack  as  they  entered  the  zaguan  of 
Maraquando's  house.  "  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Jack?" 

'•'Oh,  it's  easy  to  prophesy  when  you  know,"  retorted 
Jack,  scornfully.  "Of  course  Xuarez  told  the  Indians 
lie  was  going  to  revolt,  and  the  priests  of  the  temple  have 
used  the  information  to  advertise  the  stone.  Of  course  it 
grew  red  and  prophesied  war  under  the  circumstances. 
That  is  all  the  magic  about  the  affair." 

In  the  patio  the  ladies  were  waiting  for  them  in  a  state 
of  great  excitement,  and  welcomed  Don  Rafael  as  one 
returned  from  the  dead.  He  embraced  his  sister,  cousin, 
and  aunt — which  privilege  was  rather  envied  by  the  four 
friends,  as  regards  the  first  two — and  was  then  formally 
introduced  to  the  Englishmen.  His  eye  flashed  as  he 
saluted  Tim  and  heard  his  vocation. 

"You  will  have  plenty  to  write  about,  Seiior  Correspon- 
sal,"  he  said,  fiercely;  "  there  will  be  a  war,  and  a  bitte' 
war,  too.      I  have  barely  escaped  with  my  life  from  Aca 
uhtzin. 


110  THE    HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

"Tell  me  all  about  it,  Sefior,"  said  Tim,  taking  out  his 
pocket-book,  "and  the  news  will  go  off  to  London  to-night." 

"A  thousand  regrets,  Senor  Coresponsal,  that  I  can  not 
give  you  a  detailed  account  at  present,  but  I  am  worn  out. 
I  have  not  slept  for  days!" 

"  Pobrecito,"  cried  the  ladies,  in  a  commiserating  tone. 

"  I  will,  at  all  events,  tell  you  shortly/'  resumed  Rafael, 
without  taking  any  notice  of  the  interruption.  "I  com- 
manded The  Pizarro,  and  went  up  to  Acauhtzin  to  arrest 
Xuarez,  according  to  the  order  of  the  Government.  As  he 
refused  to  surrender,  and  as  the  town  had  declared  in  his 
favor,  I  thought  we  would  have  to  bombard  it.  But  think, 
Senores;  think!  When  I  came  back  to  my  ship  I  was 
arrested  by  my  own  crew,  by  my  own  officers.  Seduced  by 
the  oily  tongue  of  Xuarez,  they  had  revolted.  In  vain  I 
implored,  I  entreated,  I  threatened,  I  commanded.  They 
refused  to  obey  any  other  than  the  traitor  Xuarez.  The 
other  ships  behaved  in  the  same  way.  All  the  officers 
who,  like  myself,  were  known  to  be  true  to  the  Govern- 
ment were  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison,  I  among  the 
number." 

"  Ay  de  mi,"  cried  Serafina,  in  tears,  "what  an  indig- 
nity!" 

Don  Rafael  was  choking  with  rage,  and  forgot  his  man- 
ners. 

"Carambo!"  he  swore,  roundly;  "behold  me,  gentle- 
men! Look  at  my  uniform!  Thus  was  it  insulted  by  the 
rebels  of  Acauhtzin,  whose  houses  I  hope,  with  the  blessing 
of  God,  to  burn  over  their  heads.  I  swear  it!" 

He  wrenched  a  crucifix  from  his  breast  and  kissed  it 
passionately.  It  was  a  striking  scene — the  dim  light,  the 
worn-out  young  fellow  in  the  ragged  uniform,  and  his 
figure  black  against  the  lights  in  the  patio,  passionately 
kissing  the  symbol  of  his  faith. 

"How  did  you  escape,  my  son?"  said  Maraquando, 
whose  eyes  were  flashing  with  hatred  and  wrath. 

' '  There  was  a  man — one  of  my  sailors  to  whom  I  had 
shown  favor — he  was  made  one  of  the  prison  guards,  and, 
out  of  kindness,  assisted  me  to  escape;  but  he  was  too 
fearful  to  help  any  of  the  others.  In  the  darkness  of  night 
I  cut  through  my  prison-bars  with  a  file  he  had  given  me. 
I  climbed  down  the  wall  by  a  rope,  and,  when  on  the 


VIVA   EL   REPUBLICA.  Ill 

ground,  found  him  awaiting  me.  He  hurried  me  down  to 
the  water's  edge  and  placed  me  in  a  boat,  with  food  for  a 
few  days.  I  rowed  out  in  the  darkness  past  the  ships,  and 
luckily  managed  to  escape  their  vigilance.  Then  I  hoisted 
the  sail,  and,  as  there  was  a  fair  wind,  by  dawn  I  was  far 
down  the  coast.  I  need  not  tell  you  all  my  adventures — 
how  I  suffered,  how  I  starved,  how  I  thirsted;  cursed, 
cursed  Xuarez  ! " 

He  stamped  with  rage  up  and  down  the  patio,  while  the 
ladies  exclaimed  indignantly  at  the  treatment  to  which  he 
had  been  subjected.  Then  he  resumed  his  story  hurriedly, 
evidently  wishing  to  get  it  over: 

1 '  This  morning  I  fortunately  fell  in  with  the  steamer 
sent  up  by  the  Government,  which  picked  me  up.  I  told 
the  captain  all,  and  he  returned  at  once  with  the  news, 
arriving  at  Tlatonac  some  time  ago.  I  ordered  him  to  fire 
those  guns  announcing  my  arrival,  and  hearing  his  Excel- 
lency was  addressing  a  meeting  at  the  alameda,  jumped  on 
a  horse  and  rode  here.  The  rest  you  know." 

"Good!"  said  Tim,  who  had  been  busily  taking  notes. 
"  I'm  off  to  the  telegraph  office,  Senores.  Good-night!" 

Tim  went  off,  and  the  others  were  not  long  in  following 
his  example.  Overcome  by  fatigue,  Don  Eafael  had  fallen, 
half-fainting,  in  a  chair,  and  the  ladies  were  attending  to 
him;  so,  seeing  they  were  rather  in  the  way,  Jack  and  his 
friends,  saying  good-night,  left  the  house. 

The  city  was  still  heaving  with  excitement.  Bands  of 
men  went  past  dancing  and  singing.  The  bells  clashed 
loudly  from  every  tower,  and  every  now  and  then  a  rocket 
scattered  emerald  fire  in  the  sky.  War  was  proclaimed ! 
The  whole  of  Tlatonac  was  in  a  state  of  frenzy,  and  there 
would  be  no  sleep  for  any  one  that  night. 

"  We're  in  for  it  now,"  said  Jack,  jubilantly;  "hear  the 
war-song ! " 

A  band  of  young  men  with  torches  tramped  steadily 
toward  the  Square,  singing  the  National  Anthem  of 
Tlatonac.  Philip  caught  the  last  two  lines,  roared 
triumphantly  as  they  disappeared  in  the  distance: 

Red  as  the  sunset  the  opal  is  burning, 
Red  is  prophetic  of  death  to  our  foes. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE   CALL  TO   ARMS. 

Tarara!    Tarara! 

The  trumpets  are  blowing, 
And  thrice  hath  their  brazen  notes  pealed. 

To  battle,  to  battle,  the  soldiers  are  going, 
To  conquer  or  die  on  the  field. 

On,  soldiers!  brave  soldiers!  who  venture  your  lives, 

You  fight  for  your  country  and  sweethearts  and  wives. 

Tarara!     Tarara! 

The  drums  roll  like  thunder, 
And  women's  tears  falling  like  rain. 

For  lovers,  for  lovers,  are  parted  asunder, 
Till  victory  crowns  the  campaign. 

On,  soldiers!  brave  soldiers!  go  forth  to  the  fray, 

And  close  with  the  foe  in  their  battle  array. 

Tarara!    Tarara! 

The  banners  are  flying, 
And  horses  prance  proudly  along; 

For  women,  for  women,  are  bitterly  crying, 
As  passes  the  red-coated  throng. 

On,  soldiers!  brave  soldiers!  soon  homewavd  you'll  ride, 

Encircled  with  bay-leaves  and  greeted  with  pride. 

At  tliis  eventful  moment  of  its  history,  Cholacaca  woke 
from  its  slumber  of  years,  as  did  the  Sleeping  Beauty  from 
her  century  sleep.  No  more  the  lethargic  life,  the 
indolent  enjoyments,  the  languorous  dreamings  in  an 
enchanted  city.  A  sharp  breath  of  war  from  the  nortl> 
swept  away  the  sedative  atmosphere;  the  thunder  o: 
the  cannon  roused  Tlatonac  to  unexampled  excitement. 
Rebellion  and  preparation  for  invasion  at  Acauhtzin; 
indignation  and  preparation  for  defense,  for  punishment, 
in  the  capital  of  the  Republic.  In  these  days  of  alarm 
and  clanger  the  city  resembled  one  vast  camp,  and  the 
descendants  of  the  Conquistadores,  the  posterity  of  the 
Mayas,  proved  themselves  to  be  not  unworthy  of  their 
glorious  traditions,  both  Spanish  and  Indian.  It  was  a 
turning-point  in  the  history  of  the  Republic. 

(112) 


THE    CALL   TO   ARMS.  113 

The  two  persons  most  desirous  for  the  speedy  commence- 
ment of  this  fratricidal  war  were  Tim  and  Don  Rafael,  the 
former  as  he  wished  information  for  his  journal,  the  latter 
hecause  he  was  burning  to  revenge  the  insults  and  indigni- 
ties to  which  he  had  been  subjected  by  the  rebels  at 
Acauhtzin.  Jack  was  rather  dismayed  at  the  near  pros- 
pect of  hostilities,  fearing  lest  harm  therefrom  should 
result  to  Dolores  at  the  hands  of  Don  Hypolito,  or  those 
of  the  Forest  Indians.  For  their  part,  Philip  and  Peter 
assumed  a  neutral  position,  the  one  from  indolence,  the 
other  because  he  was  entomologically  engaged.  What  was 
the  hunting  of  men  compared  with  the  hunting  of  butter- 
flies? the  capture  of  rebels  with  the  capture  of  rare  beetles? 
No,  Peter  preferred  science  to  war. 

The  loss  of  the  fleet  was  a  great  blow  to  the  strength  of 
the  Government,  as  it,  comparatively  speaking,  placed  the 
capital  at  the  mercy  of  the  rebel  Xuarez.  Communication 
between  the  two  places  was  only  possible  by  water,  owing 
to  the  roughness  and  savagery  of  the  interior;  so  the  Gov- 
ernment were  unable  to  march  their  troops  to  Acauhtzin,  and 
nip  the  rebellion  in  the  bud.  On  the  other  hand,  as  soon 
as  Xuarez  had  completed  his  plans,  he  would  doubtless 
come  south  with  his  ships  and  bombard  Tlatonac  from  the 
sea.  Most  of  the  city  being  built  on  the  hill,  topped  by 
the  vast  fabric  of  the  cathedral,  offered  considerable  advan- 
tages to  the  besiegers,  and  as  their  vessels  would  keep  well 
out  of  the  range  of  the  forts,  it  would  be  difficult  to  silence 
their  guns. 

From  this  point  of  view  the  outlook  was  certainly  not 
encouraging,  but  the  Junta  did  its  best  by  every  possible 
means  to  guard  against  possible  contingencies.  The  army 
was  drawn  up  in  the  Plaza  de  San  Jago,  and  reviewed  by 
the  President  in  person.  He  made  a  brilliant  speech, 
reminded  the  troops  of  their  glorious  predecessors,  who  had 
thrown  off  the  yoke  of  Spain,  implored  them  not  to  dis- 
grace the  Flag  of  the  Opal,  and  promised  them  a  speedy 
victory  over  these  audacious  rebels  if  they  would  but  be 
true  to  their  leaders.  The  troops  received  this  patriotic 
oration  with  acclamation,  cheered  the  brave  little  man  at 
the  conclusion  of  his  address,  uncovered  to  salute  the  flag 
of  Cholacaca,  and  swore,  one  and  all,  to  leave  no  rebel 
alive  in  Acauhtzin  or  elsewhere.  It  was  a  scene  of  tre- 
8 


114  THE    HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

mendous  excitement,  and  patriotism  was  at  fever-heat  in 
Tlatonac  the  whole  of  the  day. 

The  great  banner  of  the  Kepublic,  only  seen  on  special 
feast-days,  was  on  this  occasion  brought  forth  from  the 
Treasury  by  order  of  Gomez  and  displayed  to  the  troops. 
It  was  truly  a  gorgeous  flag.  Composed  of  yellow  silk, 
covered  with  feather-work,  after  the  manner  of  the  Aztecs, 
it  glittered  in  the  sunlight  like  a  vast  jewel.  The  sacred 
stone  in  the  center  was  represented  by  a  cluster  of  real 
opals  from  Queretaro,  and  the  red,  green,  blue,  and  yellow 
rays  therefrom  were  composed  of  ruby,  emerald,  turquoise, 
and  topaz  stones.  It  was  the  sacred  ensign  of  Cholacaca, 
the  palladium  of  the  Kepublic;  and  in  the  estimation  of 
the  inhabitants  was  held  to  be  as  sacred  as  the  holy  stand- 
ard of  the  Osmanli.  When  its  splendors  streamed  in  the 
warm  air,  with  flash  of  feather  and  glitter  of  jewel,  a  shout 
arose  from  soldiers  and  civilians  alike  which  might  have 
been  heard  at  Acauhtzin.  With  that  flag  waving  over 
them  the  Tlatonacians  could  not  think  of  anything  but 
victory. 

"  It  is  like  the  standard  of  Harold  at  the  battle  of  Hast- 
ings," gaid  Philip,  looking  at  the  splendid  flag.  "  It  is  to 
be  hoped  it  will  not  bring  Gomez  such  bad  luck." 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,  my  boy,"  replied  Tim,  who  was  busy 
with  his  inevitable  note-book.  "We're  going  to  be  the 
death  and  glory  lads  this  time,  anyhow." 

"You  quite  identify  yourself  with  the  Government,  I 
see,  Tim,"  remarked  Peter,  who  was  standing  by  the  caleza 
of  Dona  Serafina. 

"  What!"  shouted  Tim,  playfully,  "have  we  a  traitor 
here?  Away  with  ye,  Peter,  or  Til  stick  a  pin  in  you,  like 
one  of  those  butterflies  you're  so  fond  of  impaling.  Don't 
I  come  of  a  fighting  family  myself  ?  " 

"Is  the  Senor  Corresponsal  angry? "asked  Dolores  of 
Jack,  in  alarm. 

"No,  Senorita;  he  is  patriotic.  His  nation  always 
make  a  noise  when  they  grow  patriotic.  Sing  the  '  Wear- 
ing of  the  Green,'  Tim,"  he  added,  in  English. 

"By  St.  Patrick!  'tis  the  <  Opal  Fandango '  I'll  have  to 
learn,  sir.  Be  quiet,  Jack.  The  troops  are  marching  past 
the  saluting-point." 

The  great  standard  was  waving  over  the  heads  of  the 


THE  CALL  TO   ARMS.  llo 

Presidential  staff,  near  which  were  the  Maraquando  party 
and  their  friends.  Don  Miguel  himself  was  with  His 
Excellency,  mounted  on  a  fiery  steed,  which  he  managed 
with  the  consummate  ease  of  a  practiced  rider.  The 
band  was  playing  the  "  March  of  Zuloaga,"  in  allusion  to 
the  hero  who  had  founded  the  Republic.  To  its  stirring 
strains  the  troops  marched  past,  saluting  Gomez  and  his 
officers  as  each  regiment  came  abreast  of  the  flag. 

The  Plaza  de  San  Jago,  a  vast  clear  space  used  for  the 
parade-ground  of  the  Cholacacan  army,  was  quite  filled 
with  the  troops,  as  there  could  not  have  been  less  than  two 
thousand  present.  This  was  not  the  full  power  of  the 
army,  for  Janjalla,  Chichimec,  Puebla  de  los  Naranjos, 
and  many  of  the  inland  towns,  were  garrisoned  with 
troops.  Already  messages  had  been  sent  to  the  command- 
ants of  these  outlying  garrisons  to  march  with  their  full 
strength  of  men  to  the  capital,  but  as  yet  they  had  not 
arrived,  and  the  two  thousand  soldiers  present  in  the  great 
Plaza  represented  all  the  men  at  the  immediate  disposal  of 
the  Government. 

It  was  a  splendid  sight  to  see  these  soldiers  marching 
past  the  saluting-point,  as,  with  few  exceptions,  they  were 
a  fine  body  of  men.  The  uniforms  were  gaudy  and  some- 
what fantastical,  and  each  regiment  had  its  special  flag  and 
appellation.  There  was  the  Regimiento  de  los  Pajaros, 
whose  banner,  like  that  of  the  Republic,  was  composed  of 
humming-birds'  feathers;  the  Regimiento  de  Zuloaga,  who 
marched  under  the  pictured  face  of  the  founder  of  Cho- 
lacaca;  the  Regimiento  de  Fray  Medina,  bearing  the  pen- 
nant of  the  Church,  embroidered  with  the  cathedral  of 
which  that  monk  was  the  builder;  and  many  others,  all 
looking  ready  and  fit  for  work  in  the  field.  The  eyes  of 
the  President  flashed  with  enthusiasm  as  file  after  file  of 
men  ranged  past;  and  the  inspiriting  music  of  the  "Zulo- 
aga March "  added  not  a  little  to  the  patriotism  of  his 
feelings. 

"Xuarez  is  already  conquered,"  he  said  to  Maraquando, 
who  rode  beside  him.  "  He  can  oppose  no  troops  to  ours." 

"With  the  exception  of  the  Regimiento  de  Huitzilo- 
pochtli,  which  is  at  present  at  Acauhtzin,  and  has  doubtless 
embraced  his  cause." 

"  True,  Senor;  and  he  also  will  stir  up  the  Indians! " 


116  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

"I  do  not  care  for  the  Indians/'  replied  Maraquando, 
quietly;  "  they  can  not  stand  against  troops  armed  as  ours. 
If  he  attacks  Tlatonac  by  land  he  will  be  beaten;  but 
Xuarez  is  too  crafty  to  venture  so  rashly.  He  has  the 
fleet,  and  will  blockade  the  city." 

"  Let  him  do  so,"  retorted  Gomez,  in  a  fiery  tone;  "  we 
do  not  depend  on  foreign  countries  for  our  food.  He  can 
not  starve  us  out." 

"  True  enough;  but  while  he  has  the  fleet  he  can  pro- 
long the  war  to  an  indefinite  period.  Unless  we  can  march 
our  troops  to  Acauhtzin  and  crush  him  at  his  headquar- 
ters, there  is  no  way  of  bringing  the  rebellion  to  a  conclu- 
sion." 

"And  we  have  no  ships!  Oarambo!  it  is  unfortunate. 
But  no  matter.  The  Eepublic  is  rich;  she  has  money! 
We  will  send  for  ships  of  war,  for  guns,  for  engineers,  and 
sooner  or  later  will  invest  Acauhtzin.  Then  Xuarez  will 
meet  with  the  fate  he  deserves." 

At  this  moment  the  crack  cavalry  regiment  of  Cholacaca 
passed  proudly  by,  with  waving  plumes  and  prancing 
horses.  Deprived  of  his  ship  by  Xuarez,  Don  Rafael  had 
asked  for  and  obtained  a  commission  in  this  corps,  and  was 
now  riding  at  the  head  of  his  men  with  his  brother  officers. 
Accustomed  from  childhood,  like  all  American  Spaniards, 
to  horses,  he  had  no  difficulty  in  exchanging  the  deck  for 
the  saddle,  and  looked  a  gallant  figure  as  he  dashed  past 
on  his  fiery  mustang. 

"Egad,  Jack,  we  must  enlist  also,  like  Don  Rafael," 
said  Philip,  gaily,  as  they  saw  the  young  man  gallop  past. 
"  Dofia  Dolores,"  he  added,  turning  to  her,  "  we  are  going 
to  become  soldiers." 

"In  the  Regimiento  de  las  Senoritas!"  exclaimed  Dona 
Eulalia,  clapping  her  hands. 

"What,  Sefiorita!     A  regiment  of  women?" 

"Oh  no!"  interposed  Doiia  Serafina,  with  a  fascinating 
smile;  "  it  is  a  corps  raised  in  the  last  war  by  the  ladies  of 
Tlatonac.  See!  here  come  the  valiant  ones." 

"Foot  soldiers!"  said  Jack,  in  disgust,  as  the  regiment 
filed  past.  "No,  Dona  Serafina;  nothing  less  than  a  cav- 
alry corps  will  suit  ns." 

"But  can  Don  Pedro  ride,  Senor?" 

"What's  that  about  me ?"  asked  Peter,  overhearing  his 
name. 


THE  CALL  TO  ARMS.  117 

"  Dona  Serafina  wants  you  to  enlist/'  explained  Philip, 
maliciously. 

"  No,"  replied  Peter,  firmly;  "  I  will  physic  the  soldiers, 
and  cut  off  their  legs  and  arms;  but  I  am  a  man  of  peace, 
and  I  will  not  enlist." 

"  You  little  duffer!''  said  Tim,  reverting  to  his  school- 
boy phraseology,  "  we'll  make  you  doctor  of  the  regiment. 
I'd  like  to  enlist  myself,  but  the  editor  would  never  hear  of 
such  a  thing.  It's  my  walking  ticket  I'd  be  getting  if  I 
did." 

"  Well,  Philip  and  myself  will  enlist,"  observed  Jack, 
brightly.  "  You,  Peter,  will  attend  to  us  when  we  are 
wounded,  and  Tim  shall  cover  us  with  glory  in  the  columns 
of  The  Morning  Planet.  He  shall  be  the  bard  to  cele- 
brate our  deeds." 

This  scheme  was  explained  to  the  ladies  and  found  much 
favor  in  their  sight.  In  fact,  the  whole  female  population 
of  Tlatonac  was  seized  with  a  violent  attack  of  ' '  scarlet 
fever,"  and  no  one  who  was  not  a  soldier  found  any  favor 
in  their  eyes. 

"  You  will  be  as  valiant  as  the  Cid,"  said  Dolores,  look- 
ing tenderly  at  Jack  from  behind  her  black  fan. 

"With  you  to  smile  on  me  I  can  scarcely  be  a  coward," 
he  replied,  in  a  low  tone,  so  as  not  to  reach  the  vigilant 
ears  of  the  duenna.  "  I  will  ask  His  Excellency  for  a  com- 
mission in  your  cousin's  regiment." 

"  And  you  also,  Don  Felipe,"  said  Eulalia,  vivaciously. 
"  El  Regimiento  de  los  Caballeros  is  the  finest  in  the  army. 
You  would  look  so  well  in  the  uniform."  She  flashed  a 
bewitching  look  at  Philip,  which  sent  that  young  man's 
blood  spinning  through  his  veins.  He  had  quite  given  up 
fighting  against  his  fate,  and  was  fathoms  deep  in  love. 
Dona  Eulalia  could  use  her  eyes  with  great  effect,  and 
Philip  had  now  surrendered  at  discretion.  It  is  only  fair 
to  say  that  the  victress  took  no  undue  advantage  of  her 
conquest.  Indeed,  Philip  did  not  know  yet  if  she  returned 
his  love.  Eulalia  was  a  born  coquette,  and  he  was  terri- 
bly afraid  lest  she  should  be  only  amusing  herself.  This 
enlistment  in  the  army  might  clinch  the  matter,  and  induce 
her  to  smile  on  his  suit. 

"For  your  sake,  I  will  play  the  bear,"  he  whispered, 
alluding:  to  a  foolish  custom  of  the  Cholacacians  whereby  a 

3 


118  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

young  man  walks  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  window  ot 
his  beloved  like  a  bear. 

"  No;  I  do  not  care  for  you  to  play  the  bear,  Senor. 
Fight  in  the  regiment  of  my  brother,  and  when  you 
return  victorious — well,  who  knows?" 

Philip  looked;  Eulalia  smiled  significantly.  They  thor- 
oughly understood  one  another,  in  spite  of  Dona  Serafina 
and  the  restrictions  of  Cholacacan  courtship.  Eyes  can 
speak  as  eloquently  as  can  tongues,  and  are  quite  as  intel- 
ligible— to  the  initiated. 

"Kismet!"  muttered  Philip,  as  he  went  off  the  parade- 
ground  with  the  ladies  and  his  friends;  "  it  is  written." 

"What  is  written?"  asked  Peter,  who  was  always  over- 
hearing what  was  not  meant  for  his  ears. 

"Your  marriage  to  Dona  Serafina,"  laughed  Philip, 
promptly;  whereat  the  doctor  shook  his  head. 

"A  man  can't  marry  his  grandmother." 

Philip  said  no  more;  but  returned  to  the  side  of  Dona 
Eulalia,  who  had  placed  herself  as  far  away  from  her 
duenna  as  was  possible.  This  precaution  was  scarcely 
needed,  as  Dona  Serafina  had  eyes  for  no  one  but  Peter. 
She  had  not  yet  given  up  all  hope  of  marriage,  even  at  the 
mature  age  of  five-and-forty.  Peter  was  young  and  inno- 
cent; therefore  Dona  Serafina  selected  him  as  her  victim, 
and  under  the  guise  of  teaching  him  Spanish  strove  to 
entangle  him  in  her  elderly  meshes.  Her  eyes  were  still 
brilliant,  and  long  experience  had  taught  her  how  to  use 
them.  It  was  so  much  waste  time  as  regards  Peter.  He 
was  so  impossible. 

On  leaving  the  Plaza  de  San  Jago  the  troops  marched 
to  their  several  quarters  in  the  forts,  and  His  Excellency 
the  President  went  to  inspect  the  defenses  of  the  city. 
Tlatonac  was  completely  girdled  by  strong  stone  walls,  and 
defended  by  heavy  metal  cannon,  so  that  in  the  event  of 
a  sortie,  particularly  by  a  horde  of  naked  Indians  such  as 
Xuarez'  force  would  be,  there  was  but  little  doubt  that 
the  invaders  could  be  easily  repulsed  Avith  great  slaughter. 
As  regards  a  land  attack  from  the  interior,  this  was  well 
enough;  but  if  Xuarez  bombarded  the  town  there  was  no 
doubt  that  he  could  speedily  reduce  Tlatonac  to  a  heap  of 
ruins.  Gomez  trusted  to  the  impassable  forests  between 
the  capital  and  Acauhtzin  to  protect  him  from  an  inland 


THE   CALL  TO   AKMS.  119 

invasion,  and,  as  the  sea-forts  were  defended  by  heavy  guns, 
hoped  to  cripple  the  ships  of  the  enemy  before  they  could 
do  much  harm. 

The  forts  defending  the  const  were  therefore  the  most 
important  in  his  eyes,  and,  after  examining  the  interior 
defenses,  he  rode  down  to  the  sea-front  to  inspect  the 
preparations  for  keeping  the  ships  of  Xuarez  beyond  bom- 
barding distance  of  the  town.  Thanks  to  English  engi- 
neers, and  a  lavish  outlay  of  money,  the  forts  were  superb 
pieces  of  workmanship;  and  their  lofty  walls  frowning 
over  the  bay,  with  the  muzzles  of  guns  protruding  from 
their  embrasures,  promised  a  difficult  task  to  the  invaders. 

Between  the  two  principal  forts  was  the  gate  of  the  town, 
which  opened  into  a  low  stretch  of  land  covered  with  fish- 
ing-huts, through  which  a  road  ran  down  to  the  wharf. 
The  Bohemian  was  lying  close  under  the  guns  of  the  city, 
so  that  in  the  event  of  their  being  discharged  she  would 
sustain  no  damage;  and  as  His  Excellency  rode  out  of  the 
city  gate,  his  eyes  rested  admiringly  on  the  beautiful  little 
craft. 

Only  for  a  moment,  however,  for  at  that  moment  a  cry 
burst  from  the  lips  of  his  aide-de-camp;  and  Gomez  looked 
seaward. 

"  The  Pizarro!  "  he  cried,  in  surprise. 

It  was  indeed  the  old  ship  of  Don  Eafael,  which  was 
steaming  slowly  southward,  a  white  flag  fluttering  at  her 
mainmast  head.  Rafael  uttered  an  ejaculation  of  rage, 
and  Gomez  turned  his  horse  to  ride  back  into  the  city,  not 
knowing  with  what  intentions  the  war-ship  had  come. 

"  One  moment,  Senor,"  said  Tim,  catching  the  Presi- 
dent's horse  by  the  bridle;  "  the  vessel  has  a  white  flag,  so 
she  has  come  with  a  message  from  Acauhtzin." 

"  For  Dios,  we  do  not  treat  with  rebels,  Sefior  Corre- 
sponsal." 

"  Do  not  be  rash,  Excelencia.  It  is  as  well  to  know  all 
these  dogs  have  to  say.  See!  they  are  lowering  a  boat." 

This  was  indeed  the  case.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
shore  The  Pizarro  cast  anchor,  fired  three  guns  with  blank 
cartridge,  and  then  the  boat  already  lowered  was  seen  pull- 
ing straight  for  the  wharf. 

"Bueno!  Sefior  Corresponsal,"  said  Gomez,  sorely 
against  his  will,  "let  it  be  as  you  say.  We  will  wait  here 


120  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

for  their  leader.  But  I  am  sorely  tempted  to  order  the 
forts  to  open  fire  on  that  boat." 

"  A  mistake,  Excelencia,"  interposed  Maraquando  at 
this  moment;  "  we  are  a  civilized  people,  and  must  observe 
the  rules  of  war.  Besides,"  he  added,  significantly,  letting 
his  eyes  rest  on  Tim,  "have  we  not  here  the  Corresponsal? 
And  all  we  do  he  will  write  off  to  England." 

"Bueno!"  said  the  President  again;  "we  will  wait." 

The  thunder  of  the  cannon  had  brought  a  tremendous 
crowd  to  the  walls,  and  down  on  to  the  beach.  From  the 
Presidential  staff  up  to  the  gate  was  one  black  mass  of 
people,  heaving  with  excitement.  All  kinds  of  rumors 
were  flying  from  lip  to  lip.  The  Pizarro  had  come  to 
bombard  the  town,  and  her  consorts  were  now  on  their 
way  for  the  same  purpose.  The  vessel  had  returned  to  its 
allegiance,  and  had  brought  Xuarez  to  Tlatonac  for  punish- 
ment. All  were  disturbed,  startled,  puzzled,  and  watched 
with  lynx  eyes  the  little  boat,  with  the  white  flag  at  its 
stern,  now  drawing  steadily  near  to  the  wharf. 

"  What's  up  now,  Tim?"  asked  Philip,  pushing  his  way 
through  the  crowd. 

"A  message  from  Don  Hypolito,  no  less,"  replied 
Fletcher,  without  turning  round.  "See!  he  is  standing 
up  in  the  boat.  Be  Jove!  it's  a  priest." 

"  It  must  be  Padre  Ignatius,"  cried  Jack,  who  had  a 
remarkably  keen  sight.  "  He  went  up  to  Acauhtzin  on 
some  church  business  a  week  or  so  ago.  Shovel-hat,  white 
hair!  Carambo!  It  is  Padre  Ignatius!" 

The  name  of  the  priest  speedily  became  known,  and  the 
crowd  cheered,  for  the  Padre  was  well  known  in  Tlatonac. 
Gomez  swore. 

"  Carrajo!    He  sends  the  Padre  to  make  terms!  " 

"Terms  with  those  dogs!"  cried  Don  Eafael,  stamping 
his  foot.  "Excelencia,  I  would  hang  them  all." 

"Como,  no!"  muttered  the  President,  his  fingers  closing 
viciously  on  the  bridle-rein;  "but  we  will  hear  what  the 
Padre  has  to  say." 

By  this  time  the  boat  had  reached  the  wharf,  and  Padre 
Ignatius,  nimble  as  a  young  man,  sprang  up  the  wooden 
steps  leading  from  the  water.  The  moment  he  was  out  of 
the  boat  it  turned  seaward  again,  and  before  the  onlookers 
could  recover  from  their  surprise  the  oars  were  flashing  in 


THE  CALL  TO   ARMS.  121 

and  out  of  the  waves  as  it  sped  back  to  the  war-ship.  A 
roar  of  rage  burst  from  the  lips  of  all. 

"  For  Dios!"  swore  Maraquando,  livid  with  wrath. 
"They  have  only  landed  the  Padre,  and  now  take  them- 
selves out  of  danger.  Order  the  forts  to  open  fire,  Excel- 
encia!" 

Gomez  had  only  to  throw  up  his  hand  and  the  cannon 
would  vomit  fire.  Knowing  this,  Jack  stepped  impulsively 
up  to  the  President. 

"Be  not  hasty,  Senor,  I  beg  of  you.  See,  the  Padre 
carries  a  white  flag !  He  brings  a  message  from  Xuarez ! 
First  hear  what  it  is,  and  then  decide." 

His  Excellency  moved  uneasily  in  his  saddle,  and  bit  his 
nether  lip.  He  would  dearly  have  liked  to  have  pounded 
the  rebel  war-ship  into  matchwood  for  her  insolent  daring 
in  thus  defying  the  Government  of  Cholacaca,  but  lie 
could  not  but  see  that  such  an  extreme  measure  would  be 
impolitic.  Therefore  he  restrained  his  rage,  and  waited 
the  approach  of  the  Padre,  who  was  now  near  at  hand. 
Gomez,  a  true  son  of  the  Church,  uncovered  as  the  priest 
paused  before  him.  The  Padre  raised  his  hand  in  token 
of  benediction,  and  the  staff  also  uncovered.  With  the 
atheistical  opinions  now  prevalent  in  Cholacaca,  they 
Avould  not  have  don-e  this  for  any  priest  save  Padre 
Ignatius,  who  was  much  beloved  by  rich  and  poor.  As 
for  Tim,  he  had  his  note-book  out,  and  a  greedy  little 
pencil,  ready  to  take  down  every  word  of  the  forthcoming 
conversation. 

"  Vaya  usted  con  Dios  Excelencia!"  said  the  Padre, 
gravely.  "  I  come  from  Acauhtzin,  from  Don  Hypolito 
Xuarez,  with  a  message  to  the  Junta." 

"A  message  to  the  Junta  from  rebels,  Reverend 
Father?" 

"  It  is  my  duty  to  prevent  this  fratricidal  war,  if  pos- 
sible," replied  Ignatius,  mildly.  "I  have  spoken  with 
Xuarez,  and  persuaded  him  to  send  me  hither  with  a 
message  of  peace." 

"  And  that  message?" 

"  Can  not  be  spoken  here,  my  son.  Let  us  go  to  the 
Palacio  Nacional ! " 

"  By  all  means,  my  father.  Will  you  not  ride  thither? 
One  of  my  officers  will  give  you  his  horse." 


122  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

Three  or  four  of  the  officers  at  once  dismounted  and 
begged  Padre  Ignatius  to  mount;  but  he  refused  their 
offers  gently,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand. 

"No,  my  children;  I  will  walk  thither.  Ride  on, 
Excelencia;  I  will  be  with  you  soon." 

"But  The  Pizarro,  Padre?" 

"  Will  lie  off  there  till  my  message  is  delivered  and  the 
answer  given.  If  the  terms  are  accepted,  one  gun  will  be 
the  sign;  if  refused,  two  guns,  and  the  war-ship  will  return 
to  the  north." 

"Ah!"  said  Gomez,  with  a  meaning  smile,  as  he  turned 
his  horse's  head  toward  the  gate,  "they  are  afraid  to  trust 
themselves  in  the  lion's  mouth." 


CHAPTER  X. 

PADKE   IGNATIUS. 

With  cross  in  hand,  the  pious  father  goes 
From  camp  to  camp  on  Heaven's  errand  bent; 

Soothing  the  wretched,  overborne  with  woes, 
And  to  the  weary  bringing  sweet  content. 

Oh,  gentle  soul,  too  kind  for  this  rude  earth, 
What  virtues  doth  thy  being  comprehend; 

Thou  shouldst  have  lived  in  times  of  peaceful  mirth, 
When  war  was  not,  and  man  ne'er  lacked  a  friend. 

Of  what  avail  those  peaceful  words  of  thine, 

When  for  the  battle  armies  are  arrayed; 
What  use  thy  mission  of  good-will  divine, 

When  to  the  foe  war's  standard  is  displayed. 

The  drums  are  beaten,  trumpets  shrill  resound, 
Two  gifts  alone  thou  canst  bestow  on  all; 

Salute  with  smiles  all  those  with  honor  crowned, 
And  for  the  dead  a  single  tear  let  fall. 

Tim  was  ubiquitous.  He  seemed  neither  to  eat  nor 
sleep,  but,  note-book  in  hand,  followed  the  President  about 
everywhere,  with  the  idea  of  gathering  material  for  his 
letters  to  The  Morning  Planet.  From  the  Plaza  de  San 
Jago  he  had  gone  down  to  the  sea-gate  of  Tlatonac,  where 
the  meeting  with  Padre  Ignatius  took  place,  and  from 
thence  returned  to  the  Palacio  Nacional,  at  the  heels  of 
Gomez.  In  view  of  the  message  from  Xuarez,  the  Junta 
had  been  hastily  convened,  and  now  the  great  hall  of  the 
palace  was  crowded  with  deputies  waiting  to  hear  the  words 
of  the  Padre. 

Owing  to  the  influence  of  Don  Miguel,  which  was 
supreme  in  Tlatonac,  Jack  and  Philip  were  admitted  to  the 
meeting,  and  they,  in  company  with  Tim,  who  was  present 
by  virtue  of  his  office,  watched  the  scene  with  great  inter- 
est. It  is  not  every  day  that  one  has  the  chance  of  seeing 
the  naked  machinery  of  the  Government.  In  this  vast 
chamber  was  the  motive  force  which  kept  the  machine 

(123) 


124  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

going.  Now,  the  Government  machine  was  out  of  order, 
and  Padre  Ignatius,  as  a  moral  engineer,  was  trying  to  put 
it  right  again.  He  advocated  delicate  handling  of  the  sua- 
sive  kind.  Gomez,  rough  work,  in  the  manner  of  blows, 
and  brute  strength.  As  to  Xuarez — well,  he  was  the  wheel 
which  had  put  the  engine  out  of  gear;  and  until  that  wheel 
was  forced  back  into  its  proper  position,  or  taken  out  of  the 
Cholacacan  machine  altogether,  there  was  but  little  chance 
of  the  reversion  to  the  old  smooth  running.  This  is  a 
parable  to  illustrate  the  importance  of  that  hastily  con- 
vened meeting.  Tim  was  the  only  one  of  the  four  friends 
who  understood  the  matter  thoroughly. 

Don  Francisco  Gomez  took  his  place  in  the  Presidential 
chair,  which  stood  beneath  a  gorgeous  yellow  satin  canopy 
of  anything  but  Eepublican  simplicity.  The  opal  arms  of 
Cholacaca  were  above  this  drapery,  the  seat  of  power  below; 
and  therein  sat  President  Gomez,  with  a  fierce  light  in  his 
eyes  and  an  ominous  tightening  of  his  lips.  He  was  in  a 
critical  position,  and  he  knew  it.  The  ship  of  the  Repub- 
lic was  among  the  breakers,  and  he,  as  helmsman,  had  to 
steer  her  into  open  sea  again.  With  a  disorderly  crew  this 
was  no  easy  task. 

The  members  of  the  Junta  took  their  seats  in  silence. 
They  were  like  a  class  of  school-boys  before  their  master; 
and  as  Gomez  cast  his  eyes  over  their  ranks  he  could  pick 
out  here  and  there  the  men  whom  he  knew  would  be  trou- 
blesome. To  understand  his  difficulty,  it  is  necessary  to 
explain  the  exact  position  of  politics  in  Cholacaca.  Tim 
was  doing  this  in  a  low  rapid  voice  to  Philip,  pending  the 
appearance  of  Padre  Ignatius.  Jack  listened  to  the  expla- 
nation with  interest,  and  every  now  and  then  threw  in  a 
word  of  enlightenment. 

"As  in  England/'  said  Tim,  speaking  in  Philip's  ear, 
"there  are  two  political  parties,  broadly  speaking,  the 
Liberals  and  Conservatives.  These,  again,  are  sub- 
divided into  smaller  parties.  On  the  Conservative  side 
there  is  the  party  now  in  power,  the  aristocratic  party, 
who  believe  in  electing  one  of  their  own  order  as  Presi- 
dent, and  think  the  common  people  should  have  nothing 
to  do  with  politics." 

"  That  is  the  party  of  Don  Miguel  and  the  President?  " 

"  Yes;  their  political  programme  is  to  govern  on  oli- 


1'ADKE   IGNATIUS.  125 

garchical  principles.  Cholacaca  and  its  loaves  and  fishes 
for  the  aristocrats  only.  That  is  one  party.  The  other  is 
the  clericales,  who  would  govern  through  the  Church,  and 
place  the  supreme  power  of  the  Bepublic  in  the  hands  of 
priests.  Since  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits,  however,,  this 
party  is  defunct;  and  a  good  thing,  too.  I'm.  a  true  son 
of  the  Church/'  added  Tim,  relapsing  into  his  brogue; 
"  hut  I  don't  believe  in  the  priests  meddling  with  politics." 

"Then  there  is  a  third  party,"  said  Jack,  taking  up  the 
explanation;  ' '  what  we  may  term  the  Liberal-Conservative 
party,  if  such  a  thing  be  possible.  They  believe  in  aristo- 
cratic government,  with  the  consent  of  the  people;  that 
is,  the  people  can  elect  as  President  one  of  the  aristocrats, 
but  not  one  of  themselves." 

"And  what  about  the  Liberals?"  asked  Philip,  deeply 
interested. 

"Oh,  one  party  of  the  Liberals  want  democracy — pure, 
unadulterated  republicanism.  A  second  party  desires  mil- 
itary rule,  which  would  be  nothing  more  or  less  than  des- 
potism, supported  by  a  standing  army  under  the  thumbs 
of  a  few  martinets  in  power.  Then  there  is  a  Free  Lance 
party,  where  each  individual  desires  the  loaves  and  fishes 
for  himself." 

"  Then  the  party  of  Don  Xuarez?" 

"  Is  not  here,"  said  Tim,  waving  his  hand  toward  some 
empty  seats;  "they  have  all  gone  to  Acauhtzin,  and  are 
now  regarded  as  rebels  by  the  Government.  They  desire  a 
kind  of  civil  despotism  as  opposed  to  the  military  party 
—a  dictator  with  supreme  power,  who  can  act  as  he  damn 
well  please." 

'  Seven  political  parties!"  observed  Cassim,  derisively. 
"If  too  many  cooks  spoil  the  broth,  too  many  politica) 
parties  will  certainly  spoil  Cholacaca.  But  they  all  seem  to 
be  afraid  of  one  another.  Don  Xuarez  has  at  least  the 
courage  of  his  opinions.'' 

"That  is  because  his  party  is  now  strong  enough  to 
show  fight.  The  others  are  all  split  up  into  small  bodies, 
who  quarrel  among  themselves  and  disagree  with  the 
President." 

"  I  presume  they  will  all  oppose  Don  Hypolito." 

"Naturally.  They  are  dogs  in  the  manger;  they  can't, 
get  the  supreme  power  of  Cholacaca  themselves,  and  won't 


120  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

let  Xuarez  have  it.     I  wonder  what  proposition  the  Padre 
brings  from  Acauhtzin." 

"Hush!  here  he  is." 

Padre  Ignatius,  in  his  rusty  black  cassock,  advanced, 
holding  his  shovel-hat  clasped  to  his  breast.  Pausing  in 
front  of  the  President,  where  he  could  command  the  atten- 
tion of  all,  he  cast  up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  as  if  seeking  for 
strength  to  sustain  him  in  his  difficult  task  of  reconciling 
the  factions  which  threatened  to  involve  Cholacaca  in  civil 
war.  With  his  pale,  refined  face,  his  silver  locks,  and  tall, 
slender  figure,  he  looked  a  remarkably  striking  personage, 
and  put  Philip  in  mind  of  a  picture  he  had  once  seen  of 
Las  Casas,  the  great  Indian  missionary. 

When  he  paused  and  thus  sought  inspiration  in  silent 
prayer,  Gomez  struck  a  silver  bell  on  the  desk  before  him. 
Instantly  there  was  a  dead  silence,  the  murmur  of  voices 
was  stilled,  and  every  eye  was  turned  toward  the  gentle 
priest. 

"  My  children,"  said  Padre  Ignatius  in  a  weak  voice, 
which  gathered  strength  as  he  proceeded,  "some  weeks 
ago  I  went  to  Acauhtzin  on  the  business  of  our  Holy 
Church.  There  I  found  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez,  who  was 
not  then  in  arms  against  the  Junta.  I  knew,  however,  that 
he  was  a  restless  spirit,  and,  observing  signs  of  dissatisfac- 
tion in  the  town,  dreaded  lest  he  should  fan  these  embers 
of  discontent  into  the  flame  of  civil  war.  To  Don  Hypo- 
lito did  I  speak,  but  he  disclaimed  any  intention  of  doing 
aught  to  break  the  peace  of  the  Eepublic.  In  this,  my 
children,  he  spoke  falsely." 

A  sullen  murmur  ran  through  the  chamber. 

"  Noting  these  signs  of  discontent,  I  did  not  return  to 
Tlatonac,  but  waited  to  see  if  aught  should  occur.  Noth- 
ing took  place  till  the  arrival  of  the  fleet  to  arrest  Xuarez. 
Ah,  my  children,  that  was  a  fatal  mistake.  It  roused  him 
from  discontented  quietness  into  a  state  of  open  rebellion. 
He  convened  a  meeting  in  the  market-place  of  Acauhtzin; 
he  told  the  populace  he  was  to  be  arrested  as  a  traitor,  and 
called  on  them  to  stand  by  him  in  his  peril.  What  prom- 
ises he  made  use  of  I  can  hardly  tell  you,  they  were  many 
and  false;  but  those  of  the  town  believed  him,  and  swore 
to  assist  his  cause.  The  officers  and  crews  of  the  fleet  had 
already  been  tampered  with  by  Xuarez  before  he  left 


PADRE   IGNATIUS.  127 

tonac,  and  to  a  man  they  all  went  over  on  his  side  on  hear- 
ing that  Acauhtzin  had  done  so/' 

"  Not  all !  Not  all,  my  father! "  cried  Don  Rafael,  spring- 
ing up  from  where  he  sat  by  Maraquando;  "there  are 
many  who  still  remain  faithful  to  the  Junta;  I  among  the 
number.  We  were  cast  into  prison,  and  by  a  miracle  I 
escaped,  to  bring  the  news  to  Tlatonac.  I  am  free;  but 
my  friends,  my  faithful  friends,  are  in  the  prison  of 
Acauhtzin/' 

Padre  Ignatius  looked  sadly  at  the  young  man. 

"  They  were  faithful  when  you  escaped/'  he  said,  gently. 
"  They  were  in  prison,  my  son;  but  now  they  are  free,  and 
have  joined  the  rebels! " 

"Carrajo!"  swore  Don  Eafael,  stamping  with  rage. 
"  The  traitors!  The  dogs!  Canalla!  I  spit  on  them!  " 

"  I  call  the  Sefior  to  order!  "  cried  Gomez,  for  the  sake 
of  f  ormality,  though  his  sympathies  were  with  those  of  the 
young  man. 

"I  ask  the  pardon  of  His  Excellency  and  that  of  this 
Honorable  Assembly,"  replied  Rafael,  sitting  down;  "  but 
my  friends  to  be  traitors!  For  Dios!  If  I  meet  with 
them  I  will  show  no  mercy." 

"  Reverend  Father,"  said  the  President,  when  the  young 
man  had  resumed  his  seat,  "  all  that  you  have  said  is  the 
way  in  which  Xuarez  has  revolted.  Tell  us  of  his 
message." 

"I  went  to  Don  Hypolito  when  I  heard  these  things," 
said  the  Padre,  slowly.  "  I  went  to  him,  Senores,  and 
prayed  him  not  to  plunge  the  country  into  civil  war.  At 
first  he  refused  to  listen  to  me,  saying  he  was  strong  enough 
to  crush  the  Republic  to  the  dust!" 

"Carambo!  Carrajo!  Canalla!"  cried  a  hundred  voices, 
and  many  of  the  members  sprang  to  their  feet  to  speak.  A 
babel  of  voices  ensued;  but  at  length,  by  repeated  ringing 
of  his  bell,  the  President  secured  silence  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  Padre  Ignatius  went  on  with  his  speech: 

' '  Don  Hypolito  said  he  had  the  aid  of  Acauhtzin,  of  the 
Regimiento  de  Huitzilopochtli,  of  the  fleet,  and,  if  needs 
be,  could  secure  the  help  of  the  forest  Indians." 

"  The  opal!     The  Chalchuih  Tlatonac!" 

' '  Yes! "  cried  the  priest,  emphatically,  "  by  making  use 
of  that  unholy  stone.  Xuarez  is  no  true  son  of  the  Church, 


128  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

my  children.  He  is  a  heretic,  an  idolater.  He  told  me 
plainly  that  he  worshiped  and  believed  in  the  opal  of 
Huitzilopochtli,  and  would  make  use  of  the  superstition  it 
engendered  among  the  Indians  to  further  his  own  ends." 

Another  roar  of  wrath  arose  from  the  assemblage,  which 
the  President  was  quite  unable  to  quiet.  Padre  Ignatius 
lifted  his  thin  hand  in  token  of  entreaty,  and  the  tumult 
ceased. 

"  I  need  not  say  what  he  said  to  me,  what  I  said  to  him; 
but  I  forced  him  to  make  an  offer  to  the  Junta,  which,  if 
accepted,  will  suspend  all  hostility.  I  implore  you,  Se- 
nores,  to  accept  this  offer  and  avert  this  fratricidal  war!" 

' '  The  offer !     The  message ! " 

"As  you  know,  Senores,  the  Presidency  is  held  for  four 
years,  and  that  he  who  has  been  our  ruler  can  not  be 
re-elected.  His  Excellency,  Don  Francisco  Gomez,  has 
now  held  this  honorable  office  for  three  years  and  a  half. 
In  six  months  it  becomes  vacant,  and  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez 
offers,  if  you  make  him  President  of  Cholacaca,  to  return 
to  his  allegiance." 

"Never!"  cried  Maraquando,  springing  to  his  feet,  amid 
a  deafening  cheering.  "What!  elect  Xuarez  for  our 
President;  place  the  supreme  power  in  his  hands?  Give 
to  ourselves  a  dictator  who  will  rob  us  of  our  liberties? 
Never!  Never!  Never!" 

"NoFrancia!  No  Iturbide!  No  Santa  Anna!"  yelled 
the  excited  members.  Gomez  called  the  assemblage  to 
order. 

"Are  these  the  only  terms  on  which  Xuarez  will  return 
to  his  allegiance?"  lie  asked  the  priest. 

"  The  only  terms.  If  they  are  accepted,  fire  one  gun, 
and  Tlie  Pizarro  will  steam  to  Acauhtzin  to  tell  Xuarez 
that  the  war  will  not  take  place.  Two  guns,  and  then,  oh, 
my  children!  the  vessel  will  go  northward  to  bring  desola- 
tion on  us.  There  will  be  war,  red  war;  brother  will  be 
arrayed  against  brother;  our  towns  will  be  laid  in  ashes; 
our  peaceful  community  will  struggle  in  deadly  strife.  I 
urge  you,  implore  you,  to  accept  this  offer  and  avert  dis- 
aster." 

"There  will  be  war!"  sang  out  some  man  in  the  crowd. 
"The  opal  is  red!" 

" The  opal  is  red!    The  opal  is  red!" 


PADRE    IGNATIUS.  129 

' '  Are  you  Catholics  ?  "  cried  Padre  Ignatius,  his  voice 
ringing  forth  like  a  trumpet.  "Are  you  sons  of  the 
Church,  or  children  of  the  devil?  That  stone  is  the  work 
of  Satan!  Obey  it,  and  you  will  bring  ruin  on  yourselves, 
on  your  families,  on  your  country.  In  the  name  of  this 
sacred  symbol,"  he  thundered,  holding  up  the  cross,  "I 
command  you  to  put  this  evil  from  your  hearts.  The 
devil  stone  speaks  war,  the  holy  cross  commands  peace. 
Obey  it  at  the  peril  of  your  souls,  of  your  salvation.  I  say, 
Peace!  Peace!  Peace!  In  the  name  of  the  Church, 
Peace!  At  your  peril,  War!" 

The  whole  man  was  transfigured  as  he  stood  intrepidly 
facing  the  furious  assemblage  with  the  uplifted  cross. 
There  was  no  fear  in  his  eyes,  there  was  no  trembling  of 
the  hand  which  upheld  the  symbol  of  Christianity.  He 
was  no  longer  Padre  Ignatius,  the  gentle  priest  whom 
they  knew.  It  was  a  priest,  the  representative  of  the 
awful  power  of  Rome,  with  the  thunders  of  the  Vatican  at 
his  back,  with  salvation  in  this  world  and  in  the  next  at 
his  will,  holding  their  souls  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand. 

"Richelieu,"  murmured  Philip,  softly. 

For  a  moment  the  assemblage  was  awed.  Many  were 
atheists,  who  believed  in  nothing;  some  idolaters,  who 
trusted  in  the  devil  stone;  all  were  superstitious,  and  they 
quailed  before  that  frail  old  man  who  faced  them  so 
dauntlessly.  Suddenly,  as  it  were,  the  influence  passed 
away;  the  devil  stone  conquered  the  cross. 

"War,  war!"  yelled  the  deputies,  springing  to  their 
feet.  "  No  priests!  N"o  Jesuits!  To  the  vote,  to  the 
vote!" 

G-omez  arose  to  his  feet. 

"Senores,"he  cried,  loudly,  "I  respect  the  Padre  for  his 
effort  to  avert  the  war.  His  mission  is  to  bring  peace,  and 
he  has  striven  to  do  so.  But  it  can  not  be.  The  Chola- 
cacan  Republic  can  not  yield  to  the  insolent  demands  of 
Xuarez.  We  choose  our  rulers  freely,  without  coercion. 
In  six  months  I  step  down  from  this  chair,  and  will  you 
permit  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez,  traitor  and  scoundrel,  to 
profane  this  chair?  'No,  Sefiores;  a  thousand  times  no! 
We  know  the  nature  of  this  man  who  aspires  to  play  the 
part  of  a  tyrant.  Place  him  in  this  seat  of  power,  and  he 
will  break  every  law  of  our  glorious  constitution.  Will 
9 


130  THE    HAKLE^UIN    OPAL. 

that  liberty  which  was  won  by  the  blood  of  our  fathers,  by 
the  heroism  of  Zuloaga,  be  trodden  under  foot  at  the 
bidding  of  this  man?  He  comes  not  to  implore  you  to 
elect  him  supreme  magistrate  of  the  Republic.  He  comes1 
with  an  army  at  his  back,  and  commands  you — I  say  com- 
mands you — to  make  him  Dictator!" 

"War,  war!    Down  with  Xuarez!" 

"  Who  is  this  traitor  to  dare  our  power?  He  has  the 
fleet,  it  is  true — traitors  that  they  are! — but  we  have  the 
army.  We  have  money.  We  can  buy  a  new  fleet. 
Our  soldiers  will  break  up  his  power.  Let  us  hurl  back  in 
his  face  this  insolent  defiance,  and  sweep  away  Xuarez  and 
his  partisans  in  torrents  of  blood !  " 

"  War,  war!     The  opal  burns  red." 

"  Yes,  the  opal  burns  red.  And  our  hearts  burn  with 
indignation  at  the  insolence  of  this  man.  I  swear,"  cried 
the  President,  drawing  his  sword;  "I  swear,  by  my 
sword,  by  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac,  that  I  shall  not  sheath 
this  weapon  till  it  has  exterminated  these  traitors,  and 
purified  the  Republic.  Hear  me,  God!" 

"  Hear  us,  Grod!  "  And  a  myriad  swords  flashed  in  the 
air. 

"  Will  I  put  the  offer  of  the  traitor  Xuarez  to  the  vote?" 

"No,  no!     War,  war!" 

Ignatius  tried  to  speak,  but  he  saw  that  the  Junta  was 
unanimous  in  proclaiming  war.  His  cross  fell  from  his 
nerveless  hands;  his  head  sunk  on  his  breast. 

"  Holy  Mary,  have  mercy  on  these  misguided  men." 

He  passed  out  of  the  hall  in  dejected  silence,  and  after 
him  swept  a  whirlwind  of  men,  headed  by  the  President. 
Outside  the  Palacio  Nacional  a  crowd  of  people  were  wait- 
ing to  hear  the  decision  of  the  Junta.  Standing  on  the 
marble  steps  of  the  palace,  Don  Francisco  caused  the 
standard  of  the  Republic  to  be  unfurled,  and  waved  his 
bare  sword  in  the  air. 

"In  the  name  of  the  Junta,  in  the  name  of  the  free 
people  of  the  great  Republic  of  Cholacaca,  I  proclaim  war 
against  the  traitor  Xuarez!  " 

"War,  war,  war! "  yelled  the  mob,  frantically.  "The 
opal  burns  red !  War,  war !  " 

Then  with  one  accord  the  mob  dashed  down  to  the  sea- 
gate  of  the  city. 


PADRE  IGNATIUS.  131 

"What  are  they  going  there  for,  Tim?  "asked  Philip, 
as  they  were  borne  along  by  the  living  torrent. 

"  To  hear  the  cannon  answer  Xuarez,  if  I  mistake  not. 
Holy  Virgin!  what  devils  these  are  when  their  blood  is  up! " 

From  the  Plaza  de  los  Hombres  Ilustresthe  crowd  rolled 
down  the  steep  of  the  Calle  Otumba,  passed  into  the  Calle 
Mayor,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  city  was  vomiting  hun- 
dreds of  infuriated  men  out  of  her  gates  on  to  the  beach 
and  wharf. 

Far  away  on  the  azure  sea  lay  the  vast  bulk  of  The  Pi- 
zarro,  with  the  flag  of  the  Republic  floating  at  her  main- 
mast., in  conjunction  with  the  white  pennant  of  peace. 
The  crowd  held  their  breath,  and  throughout  the  vast 
assemblage  there  was  not  a  sound.  The  waves  lapping  on 
the  beach  could  alone  be  heard,  and  each  man  in  that 
mighty  congregation  held  his  breath. 

"One  gun  for  'yes!'  Two  guns  for  '  no ! '  "  muttered 
Jack,  in  Tim's  ear. 

At  that  instant  a  puff  of  smoke  broke  from  an  embrasure 
of  the  rear  fort,  and  a  gun  thundered  out  its  defiance  to 
Xuarez.  In  another  minute,  before  the  echo  of  the  first 
died  away,  a  second  gun  from  the  other  fort  roared  out  in 
the  still  air,  and  there  was  an  answering  roar  from  the 
crowd  below. 

The  flag  of  peace,  the  flag  of  the  opal,  was  suddenly 
lowered  from  the  mast  of  The  Pizarro,  and  up  went  a 
fierce  red  banner,  foretelling  war  and  disaster.  The  mob 
3relled  with  rage,  the  guns  of  The  Pizarro  sent  forth  an 
insolent  defiance,  and  in  a  few  minutes,  with  the  smoke 
pouring  black  and  thick  from  her  funnels,  the  great  vessel 
stood  out  to  sea. 

The  War  of  Cholacaca  had  commenced. 


CHAPTEE  XL 

THE   DKAMA   OF   LITTLE  THINGS. 

Many  things  happen! 

They  are  the  daily  events  of  our  lives;  we  note  them  with  idle  indif- 
ference. 

The  lover  kisses  his  dear  one,  she  sighs  on  his  throbbing  bosom, 

He  springs  on  his  waiting  horse,  and,  waving  his  hand  at  paiting, 

Thinks  that  the  morrow  for  certain  will  bring  her  again  to  his  kisses. 

Alas!  he  knows  not  that  Fate  is  capricious! 

That  never  again  will  the  dear  one  respond  to  his  welcome  caresses! 

"  Good-by  for  an  hour!"  ah,  sorrow.  That  good-by  means  "  farewell 
forever." 

And  yet  they  know  not  this  future,  and  so,  parting  happy, 

Go  east  and  west  gladly,  to  anguish  apart  till  they  perish. 

"  Quiere  a  fumar,  Juan,"  said  Dolores,  holding  out  a 
small  case  to  Jack,  with  a  coquettish  smile. 

"  Campeacheanos! "  replied  her  lover,  selecting  one  care- 
fully; "these  are  for  men  only.  I  hope  you  don't  smoke 
these,  mi  cara." 

"No!  I  but  use  cigarros  de  papel.  This  case  belongs 
to  my  cousin,  Don  Rafael.  Now  it  is  yours." 

"What  will  Don  Eafael  say?" 

"Say!  Why,  nothing,  of  course.  He  made  me  a  pres- 
ent of  the  campeacheanos." 

"Oh,  did  he?"  exclaimed  Jack,  suspiciously.  "You 
seem  to  be  fond  of  your  cousin,  Dolores!" 

"  Naturally!  It  is  my  duty,"  replied  Dolores,  demurely, 
and  dropped  her  eyes. 

"Oh!"  said  Duval,  briefly,  and  busied  himself  in  light- 
ing a  cigar. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  they  were  on  the  azotea 
of  Maraquando's  house  alone,  save  for  the  presence  of 
Dona  Serafina;  but  she  was  asleep,  and  therefore  did  not 
trouble  them.  As  before  stated,  the  Casa  Maraquando 
was  on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  and  from  the  roof  they 
could  look  down  into  the  valley  below.  Ring  after  ring  of 
houses  encompassed  the  rise,  and  on  the  flat,  trending 

(132) 


THE  t>KAMA   OF   LITTLE  THINGS.  133 

toward  the  sea,  street,  and  house,  and  plaza,  and  wall 
were  laid  out  as  in  a  map.  To  the  left  the  vast  space  of 
the  parade-ground;  to  the  right  the  crowded  quarter  of 
the  peons,  a  mass  of  huddled  huts,  red-roofed,  white- walled; 
and  between  the  two  the  broad  street  leading  from  the  foot 
of  the  hill  down  to  the  sea-gate. 

On  the  parade-ground  companies  of  soldiers  were 
maneuvering.  Here  and  there  the  bright  colors  of  uni- 
forms could  be  seen  in  the  streets.  Sometimes  a  distant 
trumpet  rang  out  shrilly,  or  the  muffled  thunder  of  drums 
came  faintly  to  their  ears.  Within  the  walls  of  the  city  all 
was  bustle  and  military  pomp;  the  place  was  one  vast  camp. 
Beyond,  the  white  line  of  the  walls  and  the  infinite  stretch 
of  azure  sea  glittering  in  the  sunshine. 

Peter,  in  company  Avith  Cocom,  had  gone  outside  the 
inland  walls  for  a  final  butterfly-hunt  before  the  outbreak 
of  war,  when,  in  view  of  the  suburbs  being  deserted,  he 
would  have  to  abandon  his  favorite  pursuit.  Down  in  the 
Plaza  de  San  Jago,  Sir  Philip  Cassim  was  assisting  Don 
Rafael  to  drill  his  men,  and  Tim  was,  as  usual,  haunting 
the  telegraph  office  and  the  Palacio  Nacional.  He  spent 
all  his  time  between  these  two  places,  collecting  news  and 
dispatching  messages.  Only  Jack  was  idle;  Jack,  who, 
decked  out  in  the  gaudy  uniform  of  the  Regimiento  de  los 
Caballeros,  sat  on  the  azotea  flirting  with  Dolores  and 
smoking  innumerable  cigarettes.  With  masculine  vanity, 
he  had  come  there  especially  to  show  himself  to  the  lady 
of  his  heart  in  his  new  uniform,  and,  finding  Dona  Sera- 
fina  asleep,  had  waited  to  speak  to  Dolores  for  a  few  min- 
utes before  joining  Philip  in  the  Plaza  below.  The  few 
minutes  had  by  this  time  lengthened  into  half-an-hour. 

Without  doubt  Jack  looked  remarkably  handsome  in 
his  uniform,  and  Dolores  acknowledged  this  to  herself  as 
she  glanced  at  him  from  behind  the  safe  shelter  of  her  fan. 
He  was  as  fine  as  a  humming-bird,  and  tinted  like  a  rain- 
bow. The  Mexican  dress  became  him  admirably,  and  in 
that  brilliant  climate  the  bright  colors  did  not  look  too 
pronounced. 

The  uniform  consisted  of  calzoneros  of  dark  green  velvet 

split  from  the  thigh  downward,  slashed  with  braid,  set 

with  rows  of  silver  buttons,  and  filled  with  the  calzoncillos 

of  white  muslin.     A  short,  tight-fitting  jacket  of  yellow 

9 


134  THE  HARLEQUIN"  OPAL. 

cloth  embroidered  with  gold,  over  a  full  white  shirt 
puffing  out  at  the  hips;  open  sleeves;  a  scarlet  silk  sash 
round  the  waist,  sustaining  a  brace  of  pistols  and  a  Spanish 
knife.  Finally,  boots  of  tanned  leather  with  heavy  spurs 
hanging  with  little  bells.  Over  all  his  finery  Jack  wore  a 
picturesque  zarape  of  dark  blue,  and  a  sombrero  of  the 
same  color  encircled  with  a  broad  band  of  gold.  In  this 
picturesque  costume  his  fine  figure  was  seen  to  its  best 
advantage;  but  Jack  was  already  regretting  his  plain 
English  riding-suit  of  unadorned  gray. 

At  present,  however,  he  was  not  thinking  of  his  fine 
feathers,  or  of  the  two  men  waiting  for  him  in  the  Plaza  de 
San  Jago,  but  of  the  last  remark  of  Dolores. 

Jack  had  no  reason  to  be  jealous  of  Don  Eafael,  as  he, 
to  all  appearances,  cared  more  for  war  than  for  women; 
yet,  because  Dolores  admitted  that  she  liked  her  cousin, 
this  foolish  young  man  began  to  sulk.  The  girl  watched 
him  with  great  amusement  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then 
made  a  malicious  remark  in  reference  to  his  uniform. 

"  Pajaro  precoso! " 

"  Oh,  I  am  a  precious  bird,  am  I?"  said  Jack,  ungra- 
ciously; "  but  not  precious  to  you,  Dolores.  Don  Rafael — 

"Is  my  cousin,  nothing  more/' 

"I  don't  like  cousins,"  muttered  Duval,  obstinately, 
keeping  his  eyes  away  from  her  face;  whereat  Dolores 
rapped  him  smartly  on  the  fingers  with  her  closed  fan. 

"I  will  eat  all  tbe  cousins  of  your  killing,  Juan.  Turn 
your  face  to  me,  child  that  you  are.  Santissima!  What 
a  cross  face!  Senor  Caballero,  you  are  jealous!" 

"  Yes,"  admitted  Jack,  reluctantly. 

Dolores  glanced  at  her  aunt,  to,  make  sure  that  she  was 
asleep,  then  bending  toward  this  foolish  lover  kissed  him 
on  the  cheek. 

"Are  you  jealous  now,  querido?" 

"  No,  answered  Jack,  returning  the  kiss  with  interest; 
"  I  am  a  fool  not  to  trust  you  thoroughly." 

"You  are!    Hush!    Enough!     My  aunt  may  awake." 

"Not  she!  So  you  love  me  onlv,  Dolores?  And  Don 
Rafael—" 

"  Is  betrothed  to  a  lady  of  Acauhtzin." 

"0  Dolores!"  sighed  Jack,  much  relieved,  and  kissed 
her  again.  In  fact,  he  would  have  saluted  her  several 


THE   DRAMA    OF   LITTLE   THINGS.  135 

times  had  not  Dolores  spread  her  fan  between  their  two 
faces  as  a  shield. 

"No,  no!  Dona  Seraiina  may  awaken,  and  then — 
' Dios  de  mi  alma/  what  would  my  uncle  say?" 

"He  must  know  sooner  or  later." 

"  Wait  till  the  war  is  over,  querido.  Till  Don  Hypolito 
is  slain,  and  you  return  covered  with  glory.  Then  my 
uncle  can  refuse  you  nothing." 

"  Bueno!  I  will  wait.  And  after  all,  Dolores,  I  am  not 
quite  a  foreigner.  I  have  dwelt  so  long  in  Mexico  that  1 
know  all  your  manners  and  customs.  Now  I  have  even 
assumed  the  dress  of  Cholacaca,  so  I  am  quite  one  of  your 
own  people." 

"And  a  heretic!" 

"Ah!  Padre  Ignatius  has  been  talking  to  you?" 

"'No,  querido;  my  aunt — " 

"Oh,  never  mind  your  aunt.  If  I  mistake  not,  she 
admires  a  heretic  herself." 

"El  hombrecillo!" 

"  If  by  the  little  man  you  mean  Don  Pedro,  yes.  But 
oh,  my  soul,  do  not  let  such  things  as  this  separate  us. 
You  love  me,  Dolores?  You  will  be  true  to  me?" 

"I  swear  it!"  cried  the  girl,  throwing  herself  on  his 
breast;  "  I  swear  it,  by  the  opal!" 

"  No,  no!  not  that.  You  surely  don't  believe  in  the 
devil  stone?" 

"Am  I  a  child  to  believe?"  laughed  Dolores,  scornfully. 
"No,  I  am  a  true  daughter  of  the  Church;  but  I  believe 
this  opal  to  be  mine,  and  if  I  can  get  it  I  will  do  so." 

"  We  will  both  try  and  obtain  it,  though  I  am  afraid 
there  is  but  little  chance  of  doing  so.  We  know  not  where 
is  the  temple." 

"  Cocom  knows." 

"Yes,  but  Cocom  will  not  tell.  But  enough  of  the 
opal.  We  will  talk  of  it  again.  Meanwhile,  tell  me  to 
whom  is  Eafael  engaged?  He  has  told  me  nothing 
about  it." 

"No;  he  has  told  no  one  save  me,  lest  it  should 
reach  the  ears  of  my  uncle,  and  thus  anger  him.  The 
lady  my  cousin  loves  is  Dona  Carmencita  de  Tejada — 

"  What!"  ejaculated  Jack,  in  surprise.  "  The  daughter 
of  Xuarez'  right-hand  man?" 


136  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

"Yes,  the  daughter  of  Don  Jose  de  Tejada,  the  rebel. 
So  you  see  he  does  not  let  his  father  know  of  his  love,  for 
Don  Miguel  would  never  consent  to  his  son  becoming  the 
husband  of  a  traitor's  child." 

"True,  true!  Poor  Rafael!  The  course  of  his  love 
does  not  seem  likely  to  run  smooth.  Still,  when  the  war 
is  over  he  may  be  more  fortunate." 

"Ah!  the  war,"  said  Doiia  Dolores,  sadly.  "  This  ter- 
rible war!  How  I  tremble  to  think  of  what  is  before  its. 
Should  Don  Hypolito  conquer —  She  covered  her  face 
with  her  hands,  shuddering  violently. 

"  Don  Hypolito  will  not  conquer,"  soothingly  taking  her 
to  his  breast.  "  We  will  humble  him  to  the  dust  before 
three  months  are  ended.  Besides,  if  the  worst  comes,  we 
can  fly  to  Europe." 

11  Ay  de  mi.     May  it  not  come  to  that." 

"Amen!"  said  Duval,  solemnly;  and  they  remained 
clasped  in  each  other's  arms,  with  hearts  too  full  for 
speech. 

Suddenly  they  heard  the  sound  of  a  prolonged  yawn,  and 
had  just  time  to  separate  before  Dona  Serafina  caught  them 
in  that  close  embrace.  Fortunately  they  had  been  hidden 
by  an  angle  of  the  azotea  wall;  so  the  good  lady,  who  had 
just  awakened,  and  was  still  bemused  with  sleep,  saw  noth- 
ing. When  she  was  thoroughly  awake,  however,  she  espied 
Jack  in  all  the  bravery  of  his  uniform,  and  came  forward 
with  a  light  step  and  an  exclamation  of  delight. 

"El  Regimiento  de  los  Caballeros!"  she  exclaimed, 
admiringly.  "  Santissima!  how  the  uniform  does  become 
you,  Don  Juan.  I  do  so  admire  handsome  Americanos," 
added  the  lady,  languidly.  Dolores  laughed  at  this  naive 
confession,  but  Jack,  modest  Jack,  blushed  through  the 
tan  of  his  skin. 

"  Really,  Dona  Serafina,  I  am  much  obliged;  I  kiss  your 
hands,"  he  answered,  confusedly.  "  I  have  just  arrived" 
—he  had  been  there  half  an  hour — "  just  arrived,  Senora, 
and  I  had  not  the  heart  to  disturb  you." 

"Has  the  child  spoken? "said  Dona  Serafina,  waving 
her  fan  toward  Dolores,  who  stood  with  downcast  eyes, 
inwardly  convulsed,  outwardly  demure. 

"  Oh  yes,  a  little.  She  has  not  the  brilliant  tongue  of 
her  aunt,"  replied  Jack,  artfully, 


THE    DRAMA    OF   LITTLE   THINGS.  137 

"Pobrecita!  She  is  young;  she  is  a  kitten.  She  will 
yet  improve.  I  was  the  same  at  her  age. " 

"  The  deuce  you  were,"  thought  Jack,  with  secret  appre- 
hension, surveying  her  portly  form.  "  I  hope  Dolores 
won't  be  the  same  at  your  age." 

"  And  Don  Pedro?"  asked  the  duenna,  languidly. 

"  Will  lay  his  heart  at  your  feet  this  evening,  Senora." 

"It  is  his,  Don  Juan/'  responded  the  lady,  graciously. 
It  was  a  mere  figure  of  speech,  but  Jack  was  secretly 
amused  to  think  how  alarmed  Peter  would  be  hearing  of 
such  an  offer. 

"Oh,  this  war,  Senor  Americano!  this  terrible  war! 
How  I  fear  it.'' 

•'  Do  not  be  afraid,  Seuora.     We  will  protect  you." 

"Oh  yes,  I  am  sure  of  that.  But  my  nephew,  Senor, 
Don  Rafael!  He  is  much  angered." 

"At  the  war?" 

"  Santissima,  no!  At  his  ship,  which  still  sails  up  and 
down  in  front  of  Tlatonac.  What  does  it  mean,  Senor?" 

Jack  turned  in  the  direction  indicated  by  her  fan,  and 
saw  a  large  ship  far  out  on  the  wrinkled  sea. 

"Is  that  The  Pizarro?  I  did  not  know,"  he  said,  in 
some  perplexity.  "  I  understood  she  had  departed  to 
Acauhtzin." 

"My  cousin  says  it  is  The  Pizarro,"  interposed  Dolores, 
at  this  moment;  "  and  we  know  not  why  she  stays." 

"  I  notice  she  keeps  well  out  of  the  range  of  the  fort 
guns,"  muttered  Jack,  anxiously.  "Hum!  it  is  curious. 
Perhaps  she  is  sent  by  Don  Hypolito  to  carry  off  Dona 
Dolores." 

The  old  lady  made  a  gesture  to  avert  the  evil  eye. 

"  Say  not  such  things,  Senor.  That  terrible  man!  -  He 
might  carry  me  off  even  here." 

"So  he  might,  Senora,"  replied  Jack,  trying  to  be 
serious.  "  I  would  advise  yourself  and  the  young  ladies  to 
keep  within  doors." 

"  If  Don  Hypolito  can  carry  us  off  from  the  middle  of 
Tlatonac,  he  is  cleverer  than  I  think,"  said  Dolores,  con- 
temptuously; "  but  what  can  be  the  reason  of  The  Pizarro 
thus  guarding  the  town  ?  " 

"I  have  it!  "cried  Jack,  suddenly  enlightened.  "She 
is  watching  for  the  arrival  of  the  torpedo-boats.  Yes, 


138  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

that  is  her  game.  She  wishes  to  meet  them  before  they 
know  of  the  revolt,  and  thus  seduce  them  to  the  cause  of 
Xuarez!" 

"  Impossible,  Senor! "  exclaimed  both  ladies  at  once. 

"  It  is  true!  I  am  sure  of  it," responded  Jack,  hurriedly. 
"  I  must  speak  to  Don  Rafael  about  this.  '  Adios,  Senori- 
tas!  Con  Dios  vayan  ustedes." 

The  young  engineer  kissed  the  hands  of  both  ladies,  and 
clattered  down  the  steps  on  his  way  to  the  patio.  Just  as 
he  was  passing  through  the  zaguano  he  heard  a  light  foot 
hasten  after  him,  and  before  he  reached  the  door  Dolores 
was  in  his  arms. 

"  I  left  my  aunt  on  the  azotea,"  she  said,  breathlessly. 
"One  kiss,  querido,  before  you  go.  There!  and  there! 
Oh,  my  soul!  be  careful  of  yourself.  I  go,  at  vespers,  to 
pray  for  you  at  the  shrine  of  Our  Lady." 

" Angel!  Such  prayers  will  be  my  safeguard  in  all 
dangers. " 

"Padre  Ignatius  has  promised  me  a  sacred  relic  which 
preserves  the  wearer  from  harm.  He  gives  it  to  me  this 
evening.  I  will  bring  it  to  you.  To-night  you  will  be  here ?  " 

"Yes,  at  the  eighth  hour.     Adios,  angelito!" 

They  embraced  hurriedly,  and  Dolores  returned  to  the 
azotea  to  explain  her  sudden  absence  to  Dona  Serafina  as 
best  she  could;  while  Jack,  rilled  with  joy  at  these  proofs 
of  her  love,  gaily  danced  down  the  street  on  his  way  to  the 
Plaza  de  San  Jago,  where  Philip  awaited  him. 

Everywhere  soldiers;  everywhere  the  beating  of  drums, 
the  shrilling  of  trumpets,  the  waving  of  flags,  and  often- 
times the  martial  strains  of  the  "  Opal  Fandango."  The 
city  of  Tlatonac  had  awakened  from  its  sleep  of  years,  and 
in  every  street,  in  every  house,  activity  prevailed.  It  Avas 
not  a  city;  it  was  a  camp.  The  inhabitants,  almost  to  a 
man,  had  become  soldiers,  and,  flattered  by  the  women, 
dressed  in  gaudy  uniforms,  excited  by  frequent  draughts 
of  aguardiente,  they  fancied  themselves  invincible.  Every 
evening  fireworks  were  let  off  in  the  principal  squares, 
bands  of  soldiers  marched  nightly  through  the  streets, 
singing  the  national  song  of  the  opal;  and  at  times  the 
enthusiasm  arose  to  such  a  pitch  that  the  whole  city  was 
convulsed  with  a  delirium  of  joy.  In  the  opinion  of  Tla- 
tonac the  rebel  Xuarez  was  already  conquered. 


THE   UEAMA    OF   LITTLE   THINGS.  139 

"I  hope  this  enthusiasm  is  not  born  of  Dutch  courage/' 
said  Jack  to  himself  as  he  elbowed  his  way  through  an 
excited  throng;  "  but  it  seems  too  violent  to  last.  These 
howling  wretches  see  Xuarez  in  chains,  pleading  for  his 
life;  but  they  don't  see  the  events  which  are  bound  to 
occur  before  such  a  thing  takes  place." 

"  Abajo  los  Oposidores!  Viva  el  Eepublica!  Mueran  a 
Xuarez!" 

"  Shout  away,  mis  amigos/'  muttered  Duval,  grimly; 
"  we'll  see  if  you'll  shout  as  loudly  when  the  bombs  are 
cracking  over  the  city.  If  The  Pizarro  sent  one  now,  I 
guess  you'd  not  be  so  lively." 

In  the  Plaza  de  San  Jago  soldiers  were  being  drilled. 
A  fine  body  of  men  was  El  Eegimiento  de  los  Caballeros, 
and  a  gallant  show  they  made  as  they  wheeled  their  horses 
into  line.  Philip,  arrayed  in  the  same  style  as  Jack,  was 
reining  his  steed  beside  Colonel  Garibay,  the  commander  of 
the  troop;  and  on  the  other  side  of  him  rode  Don  Rafael, 
late  a  captain  in  the  navy;  now  a  captain  on  land.  Don 
Eafael,  a  handsome,  dark-eyed  young  man,  full  of  fiery 
earnestness,  and  not  unlike  his  sister  in  appearance,  though 
lacking  her  softer  feminine  grace,  had  taken  a  great  fancy 
to  Philip,  with  whom  he  had  become  very  intimate.  Jack 
Duval  he  knew  of  old,  and  liked  immensely;  but  Cassim's 
character  was  more  in  accordance  with  his  own,  therefore 
they  were  comrades  by  the  rule  of  like  drawing  to  like. 

Colonel  Garibay  was  greatly  gratified  that  these  two 
young  Americanos  had  joined  his  troop  as  volunteers,  and 
made  things  as  pleasant  for  them  as  he  possibly  could.  He 
commanded  one  of  the  crack  regiments  of  the  Cliolacacan 
army,  and  was  determined  that  it  should  not  belie  its 
reputation  in  the  coming  war.  Hitherto  it  had  but  reaped 
laurels  in  frontier  wars  against  the  Indians;  but  now  it  was 
for  the  first  time  to  combat  with  a  civilized  foe,  and  would 
have  a  good  opportunity  of  showing  to  the  world  of  what 
staff  its  men  were  made. 

The  regiment  deployed  into  thin  lines,  massed  into  com- 
pact columns,  charged  at  the  gallop,  retired  in  good  order, 
and  proved  themselves,  in  all  the  complicated  evolutions 
of  a  cavalry  corps,  to  be  thoroughly  disciplined  soldiers. 
In  the  burning  sun,  with  the  gray  dust  whirling  up  in 
clouds  from  the  restless  feet  of  the  horses,  the  columns 


14:0  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

expanded  and  contracted  like  the  glittering  lengths  of  a 
snake,  and  at  every  sound  of  the  bugle  the  lines  changed 
their  positions  with  the  utmost  military  precision.  For 
three  hours  Garibay  kept  his  troop  hard  at  Avork.  At 
length  even  his  insatiable  soul  Avas  satisfied  at  their  state 
of  efficiency,  and  to  the  stirring  strains  of  the  "Zuloaga 
March  "  the  men  filed  off  the  ground. 

In  other  parts  of  the  Plaza  infantry  regiments  Avere 
drilling;  and  after  a  time  these  also  dispersed,  so  that  by 
the  hour  of  suudoAvn  the  great  square  Avas  almost  deserted, 
save  for  scattered  groups  of  soldiers  discussing  the  coming 
war.  Jack,  in  company  Avith  Philip  and  the  Colonel,  Avent 
off  to  the  quarters  of  the  latter  in  the  sea-fort,  and  there 
they  proceeded  to  make  themsehres  comfortable. 

"lam  pleased  Avith  my  children,  Senores,"  said  Gari- 
bay, thoughtfully;  "  but  I  would  I  commanded  foot  instead 
of  horse." 

"Wherefore  so,  Don  Rodrigo?" 

"For  this  reason,  Senor  Felipe.  Our  country  is  so 
mountainous  that,  save  on  the  plains,  there  is  but  little 
use  for  cavalry.  The  seat  of  the  Avar  Avill  be  at  Acauht- 
ziu,  and  there  the  land  is  all  mountains.  Consequently 
the  infantry  will  be  of  most  service  up  yonder.  If,  IIOAV- 
ever,  the  enemy  come  south  to  Tlatonac  and  Janjalla,  our 
cavalry  can  meet  them  in  the  open  plains  surrounding 
these  towns." 

"  Don  Hypolito  Avill  certainly  come  south,"  said  Jack, 
sagely.  "  He  will  not  Avait  for  the  Republic  to  send  troops 
up  to  Acauhtziu,  but  embark  his  troops  on  the  Avar-ships 
and  try  his  fortunes  down  in  this  direction.  Besides, 
Xuarez  knoAvs  that  the  Republic  has  no  transports  for  the 
troops." 

"No  Avar-ships,  Senor,"  replied  the  Colonel,  gravely, 
"that  is  true.  But  by  order  of  His  Excellency  all  mer- 
chant-vessels of  a  certain  tonnage  have  been  seized  in 
the  port  of  Tlatonac,  and  requisitioned  for  the  service  of 
transporting  troops  to  Acauhtzin." 

"The  deuce!  And  what  say  the  OAvners  to  such  high- 
handed proceedings?" 

"The  owners  have  been  paid.  So,  you  see,  we  can 
embark  our  men  on  these  ships  and  sail  north  to — 

"To  be  knocked  to  pieces  by  the  war-ships/' finished 
Philip,  coolly. 


THE   DKAMA   OF  LITTLE  THINGS.  141 

"Senor,  you  forget  the  torpederas  will  be  here  soon/' 

"That  is  if  The  Pizarro  will  let  them  pass  her/' said 
Duval,  meaningly.  "I  see  she  is  cruising  constantly  up 
and  down." 

"Do  you  think,  Don  Juan,  she  is  waiting  for  the  arrival 
of  the  torpederas?"  asked  the  Colonel,  anxiously. 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,  Colonel.  Don  Miguel  informed  me 
that  the  torpedo-boats  had  started  from  England.  Xuarez, 
who  has  his  spies  in  England,  also  knows  this,  and  sent 
The  Pizarro  south  with  a  twofold  object — to  dictate  terms 
to  the  Republic  and  intercept  the  torpederas. 

"He  failed  in  the  first,  however,"  observed  Philip, 
hopefully. 

"  True!  but  he  may  not  fail  in  the  second." 

"One  moment,  Senores,"  said  the  Colonel,  earnestly. 
"  The  Pizarro  dare  not  stop  the  torpedo-boats;  they  could 
sink  her  in  no  time.  She  has  no  defense  against  them, 
no  nets,  for  those  were  left  at  Tlatonac  when  the  fleet  went 
north." 

"All  the  more  reason  that  Xuarez  should  capture  the 
torpedo-boats,"  retorted  Jack,  hotly.  "  The  Pizarro  will 
not  try  force,  mi  Coronel!  No;  the  torpederas  left  En- 
gland before  war  was  proclaimed;  therefore,  those  in 
charge  know  nothing  of  the  disaffection  of  the  fleet,  of  the 
rebellion  of  Xuarez.  If  they  meet  The  Pizarro,  they  will 
stop  when  she  signals;  their  commanders  will  go  on  board 
in  blissful  ignorance,  and  be  either  seduced  to  the  cause  of 
Xuarez  or  retained  as  prisoners  of  war.  In  either  case, 
the  torpederas,  taken  by  surprise,  will  be  captured,  and 
accompany  The  Pizarro  to  the  north." 

"  True!  What  you  say  is  true,  Senor!  Santissima!  what 
ill-fortune." 

"The  torpederas  must  be  warned !"  exclaimed  Philip, 
quickly.  "  I  will  speak  to  His  Excellency,  and  offer  the 
services  of  my  yacht  to  the  Republic.  If  my  offer  is 
accepted,  I  will  get  steam  up  on  The  Bohemian  and  stand 
out  to  sea  at  once;  cruise  up  and  down  till  I  see  the  tor- 
pederas, and  then  warn  them  of  their  danger." 

"Yes,  and  be  chased  all  the  time  by  The  Pizarro." 

"She  can't  catch  The  Bohemian.  I'd  back  my  boat 
against  the  combined  speed  of  the  whole  rebel  navy.  It  is 
the  only  chance  of  saving  the  torpedo-boats  from  the 
clutches  of  Xuarez.  •* 


142  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"What  a  pity  my  railway  is  not  finished,"  said  Jack, 
regretfully;  "then  we  could  have  run  up  the  whole  army 
to  Acauhtzin  without  trouble.  As  it  is,  the  only  passage 
is  by  sea,  and  I  am  afraid  the  war-ships  render  that 
impossible." 

"How  far  have  you  got  with  the  line,  Jack?" 

"  Only  fifty  miles.  It  stops  in  the  center  of  a  dense 
forest,  so  it  is  worse  than  useless — to  Xuarez  as  to  our- 
selves." 

At  this  moment  Don  Rafael  entered,  in  a  state  of  great 
excitement. 

"Ola,  Senores,"  he  said,  gaily;  "I  have  just  come 
from  the  presence  of  His  Excellency  and  my  father.  It 
is  the  intention  of  the  Junta  to  send  an  embassy  to 
Acauhtzin." 

"To  treat  with  Xuarez?" 

"Carajo!  no!"  retorted  the  young  man,  fiercely;  "to 
promise  freedom  to  the  rebels  if  they  lay  down  their  arms 
and  deliver  up  Xuarez  for  punishment. 

Colonel  Garibay  shook  his  head. 

"  They  won't  do  that,  mi  amigo,  if  I  know  anything  of 
Don  Hypolito." 

"It  is  true  that  he  has  great  influence  over  them,"  said 
Rafael,  thoughtfully;  "but  the  power  of  the  Oposidores 
is  as  nothing  before  that  of  the  Junta.  If  they  are  wise 
they  will  lay  down  their  arms." 

"They  are  not  wise,  however,"  said  Jack,  dryly;  "and 
they  won't  lay  down  their  arms.  And  how  does  the 
embassy  propose  to  get  to  Acauhtzin?" 

"  It  is  said  that  Senor  Felipe  has  offered  his  ship  to  the 
Junta,"  said  Rafael,  bowing  courteously  to  the  baronet; 
"and  the  Junta  have  decided  to  accept  that  grand  offer 
with  a  thousand  thanks." 

"Bueno!"  cried  Philip,  heartily.  "I  am  glad  The 
Bohemian  will  be  of  some  service.  Yes,  Don  Rafael,  my 
yacht  is  at  the  disposal  of  the  Government.  But  tell  me, 
Senor,  who  goes  north  with  the  embassy?" 

"Yourself,  Senor  Felipe,  if  you  will  come;  my  father 
and  myself,  with  a  company  of  soldiers." 

"Why  yourself,  Don  Rafael?" 

The  young  hidalgo  blushed,  and  rolled  a  cigarette  with 
pretended  indifference. 


THE   DRAMA   OF  LITTLE  THINGS.  143 

"I!  Oh,  I  wish  to  hurl  defiance  in  the  teeth  of 
Xuarez." 

Philip  had  received  a  hint  of  Don  Rafael's  passion,  and, 
as  Jack  was  busily  talking  with  Garibay,  approached  the 
captain  with  a  smile. 

"Is  that  all?"  he  whispered,  smiling. 

Don  Rafael  looked  at  him  steadily,  and  then  caught  his 
hand  with  a  sudden  passion  of  friendship. 

"No,  mi  amigo.  I  wish  to  see  Dona  Oarmencita,  and 
if  possible  carry  her  south." 

"  Will  she  come,  Rafael?" 

"  Yes,  she  loves  me;  her  father  is  cruel  to  her;  she  will 
come,  if  you  will  permit  it." 

"  Senor,  my  ship  and  all  I  have  is  at  your  disposal." 

"  A  thousand  thanks,  Don  Felipe,"  said  Rafael,  cordially, 
pressing  his  friend's  hand;  "  I  will  take  advantage  of 
your  kindness.  Not  a  word  to  my  father,  Senor.  He 
knows  nothing  as  yet;  I  will  tell  him  all  at  Acauhtzin." 

"I  will  be  silent." 

"  Gracios,  mi  amigo.  I  will  give  you  my  help  in  the  like 
case." 

"  It  will  certainly  be  needed  some  day,"  replied  Philip, 
significantly. 

"But  not  as  yet.  Ah,  Senor,  you  do  not  then  know 
what  it  is  to  love." 

"Don't  I?"  thought  Philip,  and  saw  before  him,  as  in 
a  dream,  the  fair  face  of  Dona  Eulalia. 

It  was  now  late,  so,  after  they  had  dined  with  Gari- 
bay, the  two  Englishmen,  at  the  invitation  of  Don  Rafael, 
went  to  the  Casa  Maraquando. 

When  they  arrived,  to  their  surprise  all  was  in  confu- 
sion. The  servants  were  running  aimlessly  about,  Dona 
Serafina  and  Eulalia  were  in  tears,  and  Don  Miguel  was 
cursing  loud  and  deep. 

"  What  is  the  matter?"  asked  the  young  man,  in  alarm. 

"Dolores  is  lost!" 


CHAPTER  XII. 


A   STRANGE   DISAPPEARANCE. 

Shepherds  kind!  my  love  hath  left  me, 

Therefore  am  I  filled  with  woe; 
Of  my  heart  hath  she  bereft  me; 

Thievish  nymph!  why  didst  thou  so? 
Ah,  well-a-day!    True  love  is  a  jewel! 
Why  hence  away?    Oh,  my  Chloe  cruel. 

Tell  the  damsel,  should  ye  meet  her, 

That,  alas!  no  heart  have  I, 
For  her  love  I  would  entreat  her; 

Fickle  maid,  why  didst  thpu  fly? 
Ah,  well-a-day!    True  love  is  a  jewel! 
Why  hence  away?    Oh,  my  Chloe  cruel. 

Prythee,  shepherds,  her  discover, 

I  her  face  again  would  see; 
Still  am  I  her  longing  lover; 

Sweet  coquette,  return  to  me! 
Ah,  well-a-day!    True  love  is  a  jewel! 
Why  hence  away?    Oh,  my  Chloe  cruel. 

Dolores  lost!  Jack's  thoughts  immediately  became 
busy  with  Don  Hypolito  and  the  forest  Indians.  Could 
it  be  that  she  had  been  carried  off  by  one  of  these;  and  if 
so,  by  which  of  the  two?  It  was  now  nine  o'clock,  and 
Jack  had  left  her  on  the  roof  of  the  azotea  at  four.  It 
seemed  impossible  that  in  so  short  a  period  the  girl 
could  have  utterly  disappeared.  At  the  same  time,  by  the 
strict  social  observances  of  Tlatonac,  Dolores  should  have 
returned  from  her  visit  to  the  cathedral  before  dark;  and  as 
she  had  not  done  so,  there  seemed  to  be  reasonable  ground 
for  apprehension. 

Such  excitement  reigned  in  the  house  that  it  was  somo 
time  before  either  Jack  or  Philip  could  extract  the  reason? 
for  such  belief  from  the  alarmed  inmates.  As  poor  Duval 
was  terribly  upset  at  the  thought  that  Dolores  was  lost. 
Philip  took  affairs  into  his  own  hands  with  great  prompt- 
itude, and  proceeded  to  cross-examine  the  maid  who  had 

(144) 


A    STRANGE    DISAPPEARANCE.  145 

last  seen  her.  This  damsel,  by  name  Marina,  was  of  pure 
Indian  extraction,  and  cunning  past  all  knowing.  At  the 
present  time,  however,  owing  to  the  reproaches  of  Dona 
Serafina  and  the  scoldings  of  Don  Miguel,  she  was  reduced 
to  a  kind  of  moral  pulp,  not  having  even  sufficient  energy 
to  lie  according  to  custom. 

Philip  spoke  to  Don  Miguel  as  to  the  advisability  of 
extracting  information  from  this  girl;  and  at  once  Marina 
was  brought  before  him.  She  was  terribly  afraid  of  the 
Senor  Americano,  who  looked  so  stern,  and  evidently 
thought  Philip  was  about  to  order  her  immediate  exe- 
cution. 

"Marina!"  asked  Philip,  slowly,  in  Spanish,  "where 
did  you  last  see  the  Senorita?  " 

"  Santissima!  Senor  Americano,"  replied  the  frightened 
poblana,  clasping  her  hands,  "  it  was  in  the  great  church. 
The  Senorita  was  kneeling  at  the  shrine  of  Our  Lady,  and 
—and—" 

"  Go  on,"  said  Philip,  seeing  she  hesitated. 

"Por  Dios,  Senor,  I  thought  no  harm;  but  I  saw  Pepe  at 
the  door  of  the  church,  and  he  beckoned  to  me." 

"Who  is  Pepe?" 

"Hechicera!"  broke  in  Dona  Serafina,  wildly;  "that 
good-for-nothing  Pepe  is  your  lover.  And  you  went  to 
him,  ladroncilla?  Eh,  yes!  You  left  the  Senorita.  Oh, 
wicked  one!  Oh,  child  of  Satan!" 

"But  for  a  moment,  I  swear!  Por  todos  santos!  it  was 
not  long.  When  I  returned  to  the  shrine,  Dona  Dolores 
was  gone.  I  thought  she  had  departed  to  see  Padre  Igna- 
tius, and  I  waited.  A  long  time  I  waited,  Senor  Ameri- 
cano, but  she  came  not.  Then  I  believed  she  had  returned 
to  the  casa,  and  I  was  afraid  of  being  punished,  so  I  did 
not  come  back  here  till  late!  She  is  not  here,  ay  de  mi! 
And  I  know  not  where  is  the  poor  angel!  Madre  de  Dios! 
what  misfortune! " 

There  was  nothing  more  to  be  got  out  of  the  terrified 
girl,  as  she  but  repeated  this  story  over  and  over  again. 
She  had  gone  with  Dolores  to  the  cathedral,  had  spoken  to 
Pepe,  and  then  lost  sight  of  her  mistress.  Inquiries  were 
made  for  Pepe,  who  was  a  zambo,  that  is,  the  offspring  of 
an  Indian  and  an  African.  To  all  accounts  he  inherited 
the  worst  vices  of  both  races,  and  was  an  idle,  drunken 

10 


146  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

vagabond,  who  had  been  frequently  punished  by  Don 
Miguel  for  thieving.  It  was  possible  that  out  of  revenge 
the  zambo  might  have  decoyed  Dolores  beyond  the  walls, 
and  there  surrendered  her  to  the  Indians.  Maraquando 
thought  that  this  might  be  the  case. 

"No!  "  said  Jack,  when  this  explanation  was  suggested, 
''Dolores  was  afraid  of  the  Indians,  and  would  not  believe 
any  message  brought  by  such  a  man.  But  she  told  me 
to-day  that  she  wished  to  see  Padre  Ignatius.  Perhaps  he 
was  not  in  the  cathedral,  and  she  went  to  his  chapel  beyond 
the  walls.  Once  there,  and  all  things  are  possible." 

"It  might  be  so,"  cried  Don  Miguel,  sadly.  "I  have 
sent  out  men  to  ride  everywhere  beyond  the  walls,  and  try 
to  discover  traces.  They  will  certainly  go  to  the  chapel, 
and  ask  the  Padre  if  my  poor  child  has  been  there  I" 

"  Ay  di  mi!  what  sorrow/'  cried  Eulalia,  whose  pretty 
face  was  disfigured  by  tears;  "if  Dolores  is  with  the 
Indians,  they  will  sacrifice  her  to  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac." 

"  Not  so,  hermanita! "  cried  Rafael,  hastily;  "  she  is  the 
guardian  of  the  opal!  They  would  not  dare  to  do  this! 
If  she  is  with  the  Indians,  her  life  is  safe.  But  Don 
Hypolito!" 

"Carrai!"  exclaimed  his  father,  fiercely,  "what  of  that 
false  one?  " 

"  He  swore  to  carry  off  Dolores,  and  make  her  his  wife. 
This  demonio  of  a  Pepe  was  once  in  the  household  of 
Xuarez.  He  may  be  in  his  pay  now,  and  have  decoyed  my 
cousin  down  to  the  sea-beach,  beyond  the  gate. " 

"But  how  could  he  take  her  from  thence?"  asked 
Philip,  in  perplexity. 

"Carambo,  Senor!  do  you  forget  that  The  Pizarro  has 
been  cruising  before  Tlatonac  for  days  past.  It  was  not  to 
watch  the  torpederas  coming,  as  we  thought.  By  San 
Jago,  it  was  to  capture  and  carry  off  Dolores." 

"  That  can  not  be! "  said  Jack,  in  despair.  "  The  Pizarro 
would  not  dare  to  come  under  the  guns  of  the  fort! " 

"  She  could  do  so  in  the  darkness." 

"But  the  search-lights." 

"  They  are  at  present  useless,"  cried  Don  Miguel,  strik- 
ing his  breast  with  his  hand;  "the  electric  apparatus  is 
out  of  repair,  and  the  engineers  are  now  attending  to  it. 
What  misfortune!  Dios!  It  may  be  as  Rafael  says.  Pepe 


A   STRANGE   DISAPPEARANCE.  14? 

decoyed  Dolores  to  the  beach,  and  from  thence  she  could 
be  taken  to  the  war-ship." 

Jack  was  horrified  at  this  possibility.  It  was  not  very 
probable  that  such  a  thing  had  happened;  still,  it  might 
have  taken  place.  If  it  were  so,  Dolores  would  be  now  on 
board  The  Pizarro,  steaming  north  to  Acauhtzin;  to 
Xuarez,  whom  she  hated  and  feared.  He  was  about  to 
speak  his  mind  on  the  subject,  when  Tim,  in  a  great  flurry, 
arrived  with  Peter. 

"What  is  all  this  about?  "cried  Tim,  rushing  up  to 
Jack.  "  Is  Dona  Dolores  missing?  " 

Philip  drew  him  away  from  Jack,  who  was  too  over- 
whelmed to  answer  questions,  and  hurriedly  explained  all 
that  had  occurred.  The  Irishman  scratched  his  head,  but 
could  suggest  nothing  save  that  they  should  search  the 
country.  A  sudden  idea  struck  Philip. 

"Peter!"  he  said,  quickly,  turning  toward  the  doctor, 
"what time  did  you  return  from  your  beetle-hunting?" 

"About  sunset." 

"And  Cocom?" 

"  Left  me  as  soon  as  we  entered  the  town,  in  order  to 
pray  at  the  cathedral.  He  has  done  the  same  thing  regu- 
larly every  time  we  have  returned  to  Tlatonac." 

"Cocom!"  cried  Jack,  jumping  to  his  feet  at  the  men- 
tion of  the  name.  "  Why,  Philip,  do  you  think  he  decoyed 
Dolores  away?" 

"Who  knows!  She  is  either  with  the  Indians  or  with 
Xuarez.  Cocom  or  Pepe,  as  emissaries  of  Don  Hypolito, 
may  have  carried  her  off. " 

The  foregoing  had  been  spoken  in  English,  and,  igno- 
rant of  the  language,  Eafael  could  only  understand  the 
names.  He  glanced  eagerly  from  one  to  the  other,  and 
spoke  quickly. 

"Cocom!  Pepe!    What  is  this,  Senor  Felipe?" 

Whereat  Philip  began  to  explain,  but  was  interrupted  by 
the  entrance  of  Padre  Ignatius.  The  good  priest  looked 
much  disturbed,  and  raised  his  hand  to  bless  those  in  the 
room.  Dona  Serafina  and  Eulalia  flung  themselves  at  his 
feet,  and  were  so  overwhelmed  with  grief  that  they  had  to 
be  taken  away.  When  they  had  gone,  Padre  Ignatius, 
turned  to  the  men. 

"My  sons,  I  hear  evil  news.  Is  it  true  that  Dona 
Dolores  is  missing?  " 


148  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"Yes;  do  you  know  where  she  is?"  asked  Jack,  implor- 
ingly, laying  his  hand  on  the  rusty  sleeve  of  the  priest. 

"Alas!  no/' replied  the  Padre,  shaking  his  head;  "all 
the  afternoon  did  I  wait  for  her  in  the  cathedral,  but  she 
came  not! " 

"  She  did  not  go  to  your  own  church,  my  father  ?  "  ques- 
tioned Rafael,  eagerly. 

"  No,  my  son.  I  thought  she  might  have  done  so,  and 
repaired  thither.  But  the  sacristan  tells  me  no  one  has 
been  at  the  shrine  this  day.  The  messengers  you  sent  out 
to  seek  for  the  poor  lady  came  to  the  chapel  to  ask  me  if 
I  had  seen  her,  and  it  was  then  that  I  first  heard  of  your 
great  loss." 

"  Think  you  the  Indians  have  her? "  asked  Philip, 
anxiously. 

"Alas!  who  knows,  Senor?  The  idolaters  have  been 
worshiping  the  devil  stone  greatly  of  late,  and  it  may  be 
that  they  have  carried  off  Dona  Dolores  to  assist  in  the 
ceremonies." 

"  Not  to  sacrifice  her?  " 

"  Santissima  Virgen!  no,  Senor,"  rejoined  the  Padre, 
hastily.  "The  idolaters  look  on  her  as  the  guardian  of 
the  stone;  as  one  under  the  protection  of  the  god  himself. 
If  they  have  carried  her  off,"  added  the  priest,  emphatic- 
ally, "  her  life  is  safe,  and  her  honor.  But,  my  son,  Don 
Hypolito?" 

"  Do  you  think—" 

"I  know  nothing,  my  son.     But  there  is  one  Pepe." 

"Thezambo?    Yes,  Padre." 

"  He  hired  a  boat  this  afternoon  from  one  of  the  fishers, 
saying  he  was  about  to  go  up  the  coast  to  see  his  mother. 
I  heard  of  that  by  chance,  my  children.  When  it  was  told 
to  me  that  Pepe  had  been  seen  hanging  about  the  doors  of 
the  cathedral,  I  went  from  my  chapel  to  the  seaport  at 
once,  and  there  I  find  that  the  boat  and  Pepe  are  both 
gone." 

"Carajo!"  swore  Rafael,  giving  voice  to  the  general 
opinion,  "he  has  carried  Dolores  off  to  The  Pizarro. 
Ladron! " 

"  It  may  not  be  so,"  said  Philip,  thoughtfully;  "  Cocom 
is  also  missing.  Dona  Dolores  may  have  gone  with  him." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  said  Peter,  angrily.     "  Cocom  is  » 


A   STRAHGE   DISAPPEAKASTCE.  140 

food  fellow,  and  devoted  to  Dona  Dolores.     He  would  not 
arm  a  hair  of  her  head. " 

" It's  a  queer  business/'  cried  Tim,  in  perplexity;  "'tis 
either  Cocom  or  Pepe.  I  am  certain  it  is  the  last  of  them. 
The  Pizarro  wasn't  cruising  up  and  down  for  nothing." 

"  The  torpedo-boats— 

"To  the  devil  with  them!  Hasn't  Xuarez  his  spies  in 
England  as  well  as  the  Junta?  He  knows  the  torpedo- 
boats  are  not  due  here  for  at  least  a  fortnight,  so  why 
should  he  waste  time  in  searching  for  them  now?  By  all 
the  saints,"  shouted  Tim,  raising  his  enormous  fist  and 
crashing  it  down  on  the  table,  "  'tis  Don  Hypolito  who  has 
the  poor  girl." 

There  was  nothing  more  to  be  said  in  the  matter,  as  the 
opinions  of  every  one  were  divided.  Don  Eafael,  Philip, 
and  Peter  believed  that  Dolores  had  been  carried  off  by  Don 
Hypolito.  as  also  did  Padre  Ignatius;  while  Don  Miguel, 
Tim,  and  Jack  were  equally  confident  that  she  was  in  the 
power  of  the  forest  Indians.  The  Englishmen  went  back 
to  their  house,  and,  as  nothing  could  be  done  till  morning, 
Philip  spent  most  of  the  night  trying  to  comfort  Jack,  who 
refused  to  go  to  bed,  and  walked  up  and  down  the  sitting- 
room  till  close  on  dawn.  At  last  the  baronet  persuaded 
him  to  lie  down  and  have  some  rest,  but  he  only  slept  fit- 
fully. At  dawn  he  was  on  his  feet  again,  and  away  to  the 
house  of  Maraquando,  to  hear  if  any  news  had  arrived  con- 
cerning Dolores. 

"My  poor  Jack,  you  will  kill  yourself,"  said  Philip, 
anxiously,  looking  at  the  young  man's  haggard  face. 

"  No  I  won't,"  retorted  Jack,  grimly;  "  I'll  hold  out  until 
I  find  Dolores.  And  find  her  I  will,  whether  she  is  in  that 
d — d  temple  or  with  the  cursed  Don  Hypolito." 

"If  she  is  with  Don  Hypolito,"  said  Philip,  as  he  hur- 
ried along  beside  his  friend,  "  we  can  go  up  to  Acauhtzin 
in  my  yacht  and  demand  her  to  be  given  up;  but  if  the 
Indians  have  her,  I  am  afraid  we  will  never  see  her.  No 
one  knows  where  the  temple  is." 

"  I  don't  care  if  it  is  in  the  moon,"  cried  Duval,  dog- 
gedly. "I'll  hunt  those  infernal  Indians  out  and  make 
them  pay  for  this.  Of  two  evils  I  choose  the  least,  and  I 
trust  and  believe  she  is  with  those  opal-stone  fanatics 
rather  than  at  Acaubtzin." 
10 


150  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  Don  Hypolito— " 

"  He  is  a  devil! "  rejoined  Jack,  fiercely.  "  If  she  is  with 
him,  God  help  her!  And  God  help  him!"  added  the 
young  man,  in  a  low  voice  of  concentrated  hatred,  "if  I 
get  my  fingers  on  his  throat." 

Philip  heartily  indorsed  this  opinion;  but,  afraid  of  add- 
ing to  Jack's  worry,  kept  his  thoughts  to  himself.  They 
speedily  arrived  at  Casa  Maraquando,  and  found  Rafael  on 
the  azotea,  looking  seaward  with  a  marine  telescope.  He 
turned  round  sharply  as  he  heard  their  footsteps,  and 
pointed  due  east. 

"She  is  gone,"  he  said,  with  a  gesture  of  despair. 

"Dolores?"  said  Jack,  whose  brain  only  held  one  idea. 

"Yes;  and  The  Pizarro!" 

"  In  that  case  I  am  afraid  Dona  Dolores  has  been  car- 
ried off  by  Don  Hypolito,"  observed  Philip,  taking  the 
glass  from  Rafael.  "  No  doubt  that  cursed  zambo  induced 
her  to  go  down  to  the  sea-gate  on  some  pretext,  and  then 
took  her  off  to  the  war-ship,  which  stood  in  to  land  under 
cover  of  darkness." 

"Have  you  heard  anything?"  asked  Jack,  paying  no 
attention  to  this  speech,  but  turning  to  Don  Rafael. 

"  Of  Dolores,  nothing.  All  the  messengers  sent  out 
have  returned  without  tidings.  It  is  stated  that  the  Clial- 
chuih  Tlatonac  is  burning  red,  and  thus  proclaiming  war. 
To  propitiate  the  god,  some  great  feast  is  to  take  place; 
but  whether  Dolores  has  been  seized  by  the  Indians  and 
carried  to  their  temple  to  assist  at  the  ceremony  I  do  not 
know.  Not  a  single  trace  of  her  can  be  found." 

"And  Cocom?" 

"  Cocom  has  disappeared;  so  have  Pepe  and  Marina?" 

"  Marina?"  cried  Jack,  starting. 

"  Yes;  but  that  is  not  the  worst.  My  father,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Junta,  had  plans  of  the  fortifications  to  Tla- 
tonac. These  have  been  stolen— 

"Stolen?"  interrupted  Philip,  who  had  been  vainly 
sweeping  the  horizon  in  search  of  The  Pizarro;  "and  by 
Marina?" 

"  So  my  father  thinks.  My  belief  of  last  night  is  true, 
Senores.  That  ladron  Pepe  was  a  spy  in  the  service  of 
Hypolito.  He  seduced  Marina  into  stealing  the  plans 
from  my  father's  room,  and  now  they  have  gone  off 
together  in  that  boat  to  The  Pizarro." 


A    STRAXGK    DISAPPEAKANCE.  151 

"  Impossible,  Rafael,"  replied  Cassim,  decisively. 
"  Dona  Delores  was  missing  while  Marina  was  in  this 
house.  She  was  still  here  when  Padre  Ignatius  came  with 
the  news  that  Pepe  and  the  boat  were  gone.  Doubtless 
she  has  stolen  the  plans;  but  she  could  not  have  escaped 
as  you  say." 

"  That  is  a  mere  detail/'  said  Jack,  hastily.  "  Marina 
is  an  Indian,  and  knows  the  whole  country  round  for  miles. 
After  stealing  the  plans,  she  doubtless  slipped  out  of  the 
country  gate  and  journeyed  up  the  coast.  There  a  boat 
from  The  Pizarro  could  pick  her  up." 

"Where  is  Don  Miguel?" 

"My  father  was  summoned  before  dawn  to  a  special 
meeting  of  the  Junta.  I  believe  the  assemblage  has  been 
sitting  all  night  to  deliberate  on  what  is  to  be  done." 

"  Oh,  my  poor  Dolores! "  groaned  Jack,  covering  his  face 
with  his  hands,  "where  are  you  now?" 

"  She  is  on  board  The  Pizarro,  I  doubt  not,  Don  Juan," 
said  Rafael,  approaching  the  young  Englishman.  "  I  feel 
sure  this  is  the  case.  But  courage,  mi  amigo,  we  will  save 
your  dear  one  yet." 

"My  dear  one!"  stammered  Duval,  in  some  perplexity. 

Don  Rafael  slipped  his  arm  within  that  of  Jack's,  and 
smiled  kindly.  "  Oh,  I  know  all,  Juan.  Dolores  told  me 
of  your  love  when  I  returned  from  Acauhtzin." 

"And  you  are  not  angry?" 

"Eh!  mi  amigo,  why  should  I  be  angry?  It  is  true 
you  are  an  Americano,  a  heretic!  But  do  I  not  know 
what  love  is  myself?  This  makes  me  kind  to  you,  and 
when  the  war  is  over  I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to  aid  you 
with  my  father." 

"  Gracias,  Rafael! "  rejoined  Duval,  wringing  his  friend's 
hand  with  intense  gratitude;  "but  first  we  must  rescue 
Dolores  from  the  Indians." 

"I  tell  you  she  is  not  with  the  Indians,  Jack,"  said 
Philip,  who  had  been  at  the  other  end  of  the  terrace  and 
just  returned  within  earshot;  "she  is  on  board  The 
Pizarro" 

"  I  think  so  also,  Juan.  If  so  we  will  chase  the  war-ship 
in  the  vessel  of  Don  Felipe." 

"  But  I  have  given  her  to  the  Junta  for  political  pur- 
poses." 


152  THE  HAELEQUIX  OPAL. 

"Bueno!  that  is  so.  But  when  my  father  returns  from 
the  Palacio  National,  I  am  certain  he  will  request  you,  in 
the  name  of  the  Eepublic,  to  start  for  Acauhtzin  before 
noon/* 

"In  order  to  demand  the  surrender  of  Xuarez,"  said 
Jack,  clenching  his  fist;  "  those  rebels  will  not  do  that; 
but  if  Dolores  is  there,  I  will  save  them  the  trouble  of 
answering  by  man-handling  Don  Hypolito  till  he'll  be  fit 
for  nothing  but  his  bed." 

"  Dos  pajaros  al  un  golpe,"  replied  Rafael,  significantly. 
"Dolores  and  Xuarez  being  the  birds,  you,  mi  amigo,  the 
stone.  Ah!"  he  added,  as  the  bell  in  the  cathedral  tower 
chimed  the  hour;  "there  is  eight  o'clock.  I  think  it  will 
be  as  well,  Senores,  to  have  something  to  eat." 

"  I  couldn't  eat  a  thing,"  said  Jack,  abruptly,  as  they 
descended  the  staircase  to  the  patio. 

"  That  is  wrong,  Juan.  You  will  need  all  your  strength 
to  regain  Dolores." 

"Where  are  the  ladies?"  asked  Philip,  anxious  to  see 
Dona  Eulalia. 

"They  are  not  yet  up,  Don  Felipe!  Nor  do  I  wish  to 
disturb  them,  for  they  are  worn  out  with  sorrow." 

On  hearing  this,  Philip  agreed  that  it  would  be  better  to 
let  them  rest,  and,  accepting  Rafael's  invitation,  they  sat 
down  to  a  hastily  spread  meal.  In  the  middle  of  it,  Don 
Miguel,  followed  closely  by  the  ubiquitous  Tim,  entered 
the  patio. 

"  Buenos  Dios,  Senores,"  said  Maraquaudo,  as  the  young 
men  arose  from  their  meal.  "  I  have  news." 

"Of  Dona  Dolores,  Senor?" 

"Yes,  Don  Felipe,  sad  news!  Alas!  there  is  no  doubt 
of  it,she  is  on  board  The  Pizarro." 

"How  is  this,  my  father?"  asked  Rafael,  as  Jack 
resumed  his  seat  with  a  visage  of  despair. 

"A  fishing-boat  came  into  the  port  late  last  night,  and 
the  men  reported  that  they  had  passed  a  skiff  containing  a 
man  and  a  veiled  woman  making  for  The  Pizarro." 

"Dolores!"  sighed  Jack,  sadly;  "but  then,  Senor 
Maraquando,"  he  added,  with  reviving  hope,  "it  might 
have  been  Marina." 

"No,  Senor.  Marina  was  here  when  Padre  Ignatius 
told  us  the  boat  was  taken.  I  fear  it  is  true.  My  poor 


A    STRANGE    DISAPPEARANCE.  153 

niece  has  been  decoyed  away  by  that  accursed  zambo,  and 
carried  to  the  war-ship.  Now  she  is  on  her  way  to 
Acauhtzin,  to  the  rebel  Xuarez." 

"  Cheer  up,  old  fellow!"  cried  Tim,  thumping  Jack  on 
the  shoulder  with  a  heavy  but  kindly  fist.  "We'll  have 
the  colleen  back  soon.  We're  all  going  to  fight  the  rebels 
this  day." 

"What's  that,  Tim?     The  Bohemian—' 

"Hold  on,  Jack!  Don  Miguel  is  speaking;  he'll  tell 
you  all!" 

"  Senor  Felipe,"  said  Maraquando,  removing  his  som- 
brero with  suave  courtesy;  "  in  the  name  of  the  Republic 
of  Cholacaca  I  have  to  thank  you  for  the  offer  of  your 
ship,  and  to  inform  you  that  the  Junta  gladly  accepts  your 
aid,  with  a  thousand  thousand  thanks." 

"  The  pleasure  is  mine,  Senor,"  said  Philip,  courteously. 

"  The  Junta,  Don  Felipe,"  resumed  Don  Miguel,  gravely, 
"desires  to  know  if  you  can  leave  Tlatonac  by  noon." 

"  Certainly,  Senor.  By  noon  The  Bohemian  will  steam 
northward.  Are  you  to  be  of  the  party,  Senor?" 

"I  regret  to  say  I  am  not,  Senor.  His  Excellency  is 
pleased  to  consider  that  I  will  be  more  useful  by  his  side. 
The  message  to  Xuarez  will  be  delivered  by  Don  Alonzo 
Cebrian,  the  Intendante  of  the  province  of  Xicotencatl. 
He  will  be  accompanied  by  Colonel  Garibay,  my  son  Don 
Rafael,  Captain  Velez,  and  about  twenty  soldiers.  Can 
your  vessel  hold  such  a  company,  Senor?" 

"  Oh  yes!  if  they  don't  mind  a  little  discomfort,  Don 
Miguel.  The  Bohemian  is  rather  small  for  such  a  num- 
ber." 

"Fortunately,  the  voyage  will  not  take  long,"  added 
Jack,  thankfully.  "With  myself  and  you,  Philip,  the 
number  totes  up  to  twenty-six  passengers." 

"Twenty-seven,  Jack,"  interposed  Tim,  quickly;  "  Fm 
not  goin'  to  miss  the  fun." 

"  But  your  business,  Tim,"  remonstrated  Philip,  in 
alarm,  afraid  lest  Fletcher's  fighting  propensities  should 
cause  trouble  at  Acauhtzin. 

"  Well,  isn't  this  my  business,  sir?  Interview  with  the 
rebel  leader!  It's  a  fine  article  I'll  get  out  of  that  same, 
Philip." 

•  •  Right  you  are,  Tim.  I'll  be  glad  of  your  company. 
But  Peter?" 


154  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"  We'll  leave  him  behind  to  look  after  the  ladies/' 

"Don  Miguel,"  said  Jack,  who  had  been  thinking 
deeply,  "is  the  boat  of  Senor  Felipe  to  sail  under  the 
English  or  the  Cholacacian  flag?" 

"  Under  the  flag  of  the  opal,  Senor.-" 

"  In  that  case,  Senor,  a  few  shots  will  send  her  to  the 
bottom  as  she  approaches  Acauhtzin.  Don  Hypolito  will 
suspect  treachery  and  fire  on  the  ship." 

"  He  dare  not  fire  on  the  opal  banner,  Senor." 

"I  wouldn't  trust  him.  He's  a  scoundrel,"  retorted 
Jack,  savagely.  "  Besides,  war  is  proclaimed,  and  Xuarez 
won't  want  any  messages  of  peace." 

"Senor  Maraquando,"  said  Philip,  gravely,  "I  think  it 
will  be  best  to  approach  Acauhtzin  under  the  English  flag. 
When  Don  Alonzo  delivers  the  message  of  the  Junta,  we 
can  hoist  the  opal  banner." 

"  I  will  speak  to  His  Excellency  on  the  subject,  Don 
Felipe,"  replied  Maraquando,  a  trifle  haughtily,  feeling 
rather  nettled  at  the  implied  hint  of  the  opal  banner  being 
treated  with  disrespect.  "Meanwhile,  you  will  be  ready 
to  start  at  noon." 

"Yes,  Senor;  at  noon  precisely." 

"Bueno!  His  Excellency  and  the  Junta  will  be  at  the 
sea-gate  to  see  you  depart." 

After  this  the  three  Englishmen  bowed,  and  departed 
to  get  themselves  ready  for  the  journey  to  Acauhtzin. 

"  I  say,  Philip,  you  rather  put  up  the  old  gentleman's 
back!" 

"  Oh,  confound  it,  I  don't  want  The  Bohemian  split 
up  into  matchwood.  Xuarez  will  fire  on  the  opal  flag; 
but  he'll  think  twice  before  he  insults  the  Union  Jack." 

"Let  him  try,"  said  Tim,  grimly;  "and  if  I'm  not 
kicking  my  heels  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  I'll  wire  to  Lon- 
don about  the  insult,  and  bring  the  British  navy  like  hor- 
nets about  his  ears.  Come,  John,  my  boy,  wake  up!  We're 
going  to  bring  back  your  darling." 

"That  is  if  we  can  get  her  from  Xuarez,  "  said  Jack, 
gloomily;  "  but  I'm  terribly  afraid.  If  any  harm  has  hap- 
pened to  her,  I'll  kill  him.  By  gad,  I'll  choke  the  life 
out  of  him." 

"I'll  help  you,  Jack,"  said  Philip,  earnestly,  for  his 
blood  boiled  at  the  thought  of  Dolores  in  the  grasp  of 


A   STBANGE   DISAPPEARANCE.  155 

Xuarez;  "  but  I  think  you'll  find  Dolores  can  look  after 
herself.  Besides,  Xuarez  will  be  too  much  afraid  of  his 
allies,  the  Indians,  to  harm  her." 

"You  must  change  those  fine  feathers,  boys,"  said  Tim, 
suddenly. 

"And  why?" 

"  Because  it  will  never  do  to  let  Don  Hypolito  know 
you're  in  this  shindy.  Afterward  it  doesn't  matter;  but 
with  the  Union  Jack  flying,  you  can't  dress  as  Cholacacan 
soldiers." 

"Tim  is  right,"  said  Jack,  after  a  pause;  "we  will 
change  our  clothes." 

"But  not  our  intentions,  Jack,"  said  Philip,  anxious  to 
keep  up  his  friends'  spirits.  "  Dolores  or  war!  " 

"No,"  cried  Duval,  with  intense  earnestness;  "with  us 
it  is  '  Dolores  or  death '! " 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


AWAY  TO   THE   NORTH. 

Oh,  leave  the  south,  the  languid  south, 

Its  cloudless  skies,  its  weary  calms; 
The  land  of  heat  and  glare  and  drouth, 

Where  aloes  bloom  and  spring  the  palms: 

There  water  is  the  best  of  alms, 
To  cool  the  ever-parched  mouth; 

Oh,  with  the  breezes  bearing  balms, 
Fly  northward  from  the  languid  south. 

Oh,  seek  the  bitter  northern  skies, 

Where  falls  the  snow  and  blows  the  sleet; 
'Mid  which  the  stormy  sea-bird  cries, 

And  circles  on  its  pinions  fleet. 

On  rocky  shores  the  surges  beat, 
And  icebergs  crystalline  arise, 

Life  thrills  our  veins  with  tropic  heat, 
Beneath  the  bitter  northern  skies. 

Once  more  The  Bohemian  was  breasting  the  warm  waves 
of  the  Atlantic,  and  seemed  to  rejoice  in  her  freedom  like  a 
sentient  thing,  as  she  plunged  northward  to  Acauhtzin. 
The  smoke  poured  black  from  her  wide-mouthed  funnel, 
the  blades  of  her  propeller,  lashing  the  waters  to  foam,  left 
behind  her  a  long  trail  of  white,  and  her  sharp  nose  dipped 
and  fell  in  the  salt  brine  with  every  pulsation  of  the  pis- 
tons. Beneath  the  folds  of  the  Union  Jack,  streaming  in 
the  wind,  were  gathered  the  Englishmen  and  the  Chola- 
cacans,  all  light-hearted  and  hopeful  despite  the  undoubted 
peril  of  their  mission.  It  was  no  light  task  to  beard  Xuarez 
in  his  stronghold,  to  assert  the  authority  of  the  Republic 
in  the  teeth  of  his  army.  The  mission  was  a  valiant  one, 
but  foolhardy,  and  Tim,  if  no  one  else,  looked  for  any- 
thing but  a  peaceful  termination  to  the  voyage. 

The  distance  to  Acauhtzin  was  something  over  three 
hundred  miles,  and  as  The  Bohemian  was  swirling  along  at 
the  rate  of  seventeen  knots  an  hour,  it  was  hoped  she 
would  reach  her  destination  in  fifteen  hours  or  thereabouts. 

(156) 


AWAY  TO   THE  NORTH.  157 

Owing  to  one  thing  and  another,  the  yacht  had  not  left 
Tlatonac  till  close  on  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon;  so, 
making  all  allowance  for  possible  accidents  and  stoppages, 
at  the  rate  she  was  going,  Philip  calculated  that  he  would 
fetch  the  northern  capital  about  dawn.  He  did  not  wish  to 
venture  too  near  the  port  in  the  darkness,  as  the  war-ships 
Avere  protecting  the  town,  and,  not  seeing  the  English 
ensign,  might  open  fire  on  his  yacht  under  the  impression 
that  she  was  an  enemy.  With  this  idea  the  engines  were 
slowed  down  during  the  voyage,  and  The  Bohemian  was 
timed  to  enter  the  port  some  time  before  noon  of  the 
next  day. 

Owing  to  the  number  of  people  on  board  (twenty-six 
souls,  in  addition  to  the  crew),  it  was  somewhat  difficult  to 
provide  all  with  accommodation.  Fortunately,  however, 
the  nights  were  warm  and  rainless,  so  the  soldiers  made 
themselves  comfortable  on  deck,  and  slept  soundly  enough, 
wrapped  in  their  military  cloaks.  The  sailing-master  of 
The  Bohemian,  a  tough  old  salt,  by  name  Simon  Benker, 
growled  a  good  deal  at  the  way  in  which  his  spotless  decks 
were  being  spoiled,  but  Philip  managed  to  smooth  him 
down  by  representing  the  seriousness  of  the  situation. 
Benker  submitted  with  but  ill  grace.  The  yacht  was  the 
pride  of  his  life,  the  darling  of  his  heart,  and  he  had  no 
great  love  for  the  inhabitants  of  Cholacaca.  However,  Sir 
Philip  was  master,  and  gave  the  soldiers  permission  to 
camp  out  on  deck,  so  Benker  was  forced  to  acquiesce  in 
the  arrangement. 

The  ambassadors,  in  company  with  the  three  English- 
men, took  up  their  quarters  in  the  state-room  and  cabins. 
As  there  were  not  enough  bunks,  some  of  them  had  to 
sleep  in  the  saloon,  so  the  younger  members  of  the  party 
gave  up  the  sleeping-berths  to  the  elders,  and  did  their  best 
to  make  shift  in  a  rough-and-ready  fashion.  As  they  sat 
up  late,  however,  and  got  up  early,  this  inconvenienced 
them  but  little,  and  the  utmost  good-humor  prevailed  above 
and  below  during  the  voyage.  The  crew,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Benker,  fraternized  with  the  soldiers,  and  their 
masters  entertained  the  Spanish  hidalgos;  so,  despite  all 
inconveniences,  things  went  off  capitally.  Even  Jack 
plucked  up  his  spirits  now  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  rescue 
Dolores,  and  Philip's  excellent  brand  of  champagne  had  a 


158  THE   HAELEQUIN   OPAL. 

wonderful  effect  of  keeping  the  temperament  of  all  up  to 
what  Tim  called  "concert  pitch." 

Don  Alonzo  Cebrian  was  a  pompous  old  man,  whose 
every  second  word  was,  "I  the  Intendante."  He  was  as 
proud  as  Lucifer,  and  never  alluded  to  the  rebels  save  by 
the  opprobrious  names  of  canalla,  ladrons,  demonios — all  of 
which  terms  were  echoed  regularly  by  Captain  Velez.  This 
young  gentleman,  a  good-looking  spendthrift  with  a 
rather  scampish  reputation,  played  the  part  of  echo  to 
please  the  Intendante,  whose  daughter  he  wished  to  marry 
for  her  dowry.  The  lady  was  plain,  but  her  father  was 
rich;  so  Captain  Velez  was  quite  willing  to  sacrifice  his 
good  looks  and  bachelor  freedom  on  the  altar  of  matrimony, 
provided  he  was  well  paid  for  doing  so.  Don  Eafael  Avas 
in  the  highest  of  spirits  at  the  prospect  of  seeing  Dona 
Carmencita,  and  kept  things  going  by  the  liveliness  of  his 
sallies,  while  Colonel  Garibay  smoked  endless  cigarettes  and 
spoke  but  little. 

After  an  excellent  dinner,  which  was  done  full  justice  to 
by  the  hungry  Spaniards,  they  all  went  on  deck,  and  sat 
down  to  smoke  and  talk.  First  and  foremost,  they  all  paid 
Sir  Philip  handsome  compliments  about  the  beauty  and 
speed  of  The  Bohemian,  and  then  drifted  gradually  into 
the  one  subject  of  the  hour — the  Avar  with  Xuarez,  the 
embassy  to  Xuarez,  the  certainty  of  punishing  Xuarez. 

"Begad,  Philip!"  whispered  Tim,  who  was  smoking  a 
villainous  black  clay  pipe,  "it's  all  Xuarez  and  nothing 
else.  Is  he  the  only  man  the  Oposidores  have?" 

"  So  it  appears,"  replied  Philip,  leaning  back  in  his 
chair;  "  the  whole  row  seems  to  hinge  on  Xuarez.  Is  that 
not  your  opinion,  Don  Eafael?  " 

"What  is  that,  mi  amigo?  I  do  not  understand 
English." 

"  That  Xuarez  is  the  only  capable  man  on  the  side  of 
the  Oposidores?" 

"Ladrons!"  interrupted  Don  Alonzo,  with  stately 
spite.  "  I  the  Intendantc  think  otherwise.  Xuarez  is 
clever;  but,  Senores,  no  one  is  so  clever  as  Tejada. 
Canalla!" 

"  Canalla!  "  echoed  Velez,  removing  his  cigarette;  "  no 
one  is  so  clever  as  Tejada!  " 

"  Don  Jose1  is  being  deceived  by  Xuarez,"  said  Eafael, 


AWAY  TO   THE   NORTH.  159 

ruffled  at  this  allusion  to  his  proposed  father-in-law;  "  he 
is  a  pompous  old  fool,  and,  if  he  is  wise,  will  leave  Acauht- 
zin  with  his  family,  and  place  himself  under  the  protec- 
tion of  the  Republic." 

"  He  won't  do  that,"  replied  Garibay,  decisively;  "  he  is 
of  too  much  service  to  Xuarez.  The  Oposidores  have  but 
little  wealth,  and  Tejada  is  a  rich  man." 

"  Well,  no  matter,  Senores.  I  the  Intendante  will  arrest 
them  both,  and  carry  them  in  chains  to  the  Junta." 

"  I  am  afraid  that  will  be  more  difficult  than  you 
imagine,  Senor,"  said  Rafael,  dryly.  ' '  Xuarez  is  adored  by 
the  townspeople  of  Acauhtzin.  He  has  a  passably  good 
army;  the  friendship  of  the  Indians,  who  are  being  urged 
on  to  war  by  that  prophetic  opal,  and  a  capital  fleet.  With 
all  these  at  his  command  he  would  be  a  fool  to  yield  at 
the  mere  reading  of  a  decree.  No.  This  war  will  be  a 
long  one,  a  difficult  one,  and  it  is  doubtful  if,  in  the  end, 
Don  Hypolito  will  not  conquer." 

Garibay  frowned,  and  looked  sternly  at  the  young  man. 

"Are  your  sympathies  with  the  Oposidores,  Seiior?  " 

"By  no  means!  I  see  in  Xuarez  a  possible  tyrant,  an 
unscrupulous  scoundrel;  but  I  am  not  so  blinded  as  to 
overlook  his  talents.  Already  he  has  scored  heavily  against 
us — the  securing  of  the  fleet,  the  gaining  of  Acauhtzin  to 
his  interest,  and  all  without  a  blow.  Believe  me,  Colonel, 
I  speak  truly  when  I  say  Xuarez  is  a  foe  to  be  dreaded." 

"  He  will  not  dare  to  defy  the  decree  of  the  Republic," 
said  the  Intendante,  pompously.  "When  I  read  this/' 
added  Don  Alonzo,  tapping  his  breast-pocket,  where  lay  the 
official  paper,  "he  will  yield." 

"Certainly!"  echoed  Velez,  parrot-like,  "  he  will  yield. 
Carambo!  He  dare  not  defy  Don  Alonzo." 

"Do  you  think  Xuarez  is  a  second  Montezuma,  to  yield 
in  the  presence  of  his  army,  Senores?"  cried  Rafael,  vehe- 
mently. "I  tell  you  no.  Were  he  alone,  he  would  resist 
arrest.  How  much  more  so,  then,  when  supported  by  the 
devotion  of  hundreds.  I  am  a  true  subject  of  the  Republic. 
I  hate,  dread,  and  scorn  Don  Hypolito;  but  I  do  not 
despise  him.  He  will  be  the  Napoleon  of  Cholacaca.  Let 
the  Republic  beware ! " 

"Ah,  bah!"  said  Colonel  Garibay,  while  Don  Alonzo 
snorted  with  indignation.  "  Xuarez  may  be  a  clever  man, 


160  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

but  he  is  no  general.  Why,  he  does  not  even  make  the 
first  move." 

"No,  he  bides  his  time.  When  he  does  move,  Tlatonae 
will  hear  of  it." 

"You  mean  he  will  bombard  the  city? " 

"Yes  and  no.  I  will  explain.  Excuse  me  one  moment, 
Senores.  I  go  for  a  map  of  the  country." 

Don  Rafael  ran  down  to  the  cabin;  and  during  his 
absence  the  Intendante  and  Captain  Velez  scoffed  at  the 
idea  that  Xuarez  would  be  a  dangerous  enemy.  They  had 
a  duet,  in  a  braggadocio  vein. 

"He  will  yield,  Senores,  when  I  read  this  decree." 

"The  troops  of  Tlatonae  alone  can  crush  him,"  added 
Velez,  confidently. 

"We  will  swallow  these  rebels  at  a  mouthful.  I  the 
Intendante  say  so." 

"The  war  will  be  a  mere  military  promenade,"  said  his 
echo. 

"So  said  the  French  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Franco- 
Prussian  war,"  interjected  Philip,  grimly;  "  but  they  made 
a  mistake.  What  is  your  opinion,  Colonel?" 

"I  agree  with  Don  Rafael,"  replied  Garibay,  slowly. 
"  I  am  by  no  means  inclined  to  undervalue  our  opponent. 
Xuarez  is  as  cunning  as  Satan,  and  as  ambitions.  His 
first  moves  in  this  war  have  resulted  to  his  own  advantage; 
therefore  I  am  not  so  confident  of  a  speedy  termination 
to  this  campaign  as  are  these  gentlemen.  Firecrackers, 
such  as  reading  a  decree,  will  not  frighten  a  man  like 
Xuarez!" 

"Then  you  think  this  journey  useless?"  asked  Jack, 
who  was  of  much  the  same  opinion  himself. 

"Absolutely,  Senores.  I  believe  we  are  on  the  eve  of  a 
terrible  struggle,  and  to  whom  will  result  the  advantage  I 
know  not." 

"If  all  the  Junta  were  as  faint-hearted  as  yourself  and 
Don  Rafael  we  would  yield  without  a  blow,"  said  the 
Intendante,  bitterly. 

"Without  a  blow,"  from  Velez,  in  the  same  tone. 
"Carambo!" 

"  You  are  wrong,  Senor,"  cried  the  Colonel,  with  fiery 
earnestness;  "  I  am  not  faint-hearted.  I  will  fight  against 
Xuarez  to  the  last.  But  is  it  wise  to  scoff  at  this  man  as 


AWAY   TO   THE   NOBTH.  161 

you  are  doing?  I  tell  you  he  is  a  master-spirit,  such  as 
rises  once  in  a  century,  and  as  such  is  all-powerful,  even 
against  the  great  power  of  the  Eepublic.  He  is  one  of 
those  men  who  change  the  destinies  of  nations;  a 
Napoleon,  a  Garibaldi,  a  Washington.  From  my  soul, 
Senores,  I  trust  we  will  win  and  save  the  Republic;  but 
it  is  as  well  to  look  on  both  sides  of  the  question.  Blind 
security  is  not  wise.  For  todos  Santos,  Senores,"  cried 
Garibay,  rising  to  his  feet  in  his  excitement,  "see  how 
this  man  has  already  succeeded.  Acauhtzin,  the  most 
important  town  next  to  the  capital,  is  in  his  hands;  our 
fleet  has  gone  over  entirely  to  his  side;  and  have  you  for- 
gotten the  treachery  of  Marina  and  Pepe.  A  full  plan  of 
the  fortifications  of  Tlatonac  is  before  him.  If  he  can  do 
this  much,  he  can  do  more.  Till  the  end,  I  will  support 
the  Eepublic,  and  resist  a  possible  dictator;  but  do  not 
sneer  at  Xuarez !  I  tell  you  he  is  a  great  man ! " 

This  was  an  unexampled  outburst  for  the  ordinarily 
calm  colonel,  and  he  sank  back  in  his  chair  with  a  look  of 
agitation  on  his  usually  impassive  face.  The  Intendante 
and  Velez  were  for  the  moment  impressed;  yet,  soon 
recovering  their  obstinate  belief  in  the  invulnerability  of 
the  Eepublic,  would  have  replied,  but  that  at  this  moment 
Don  Eafael  made  his  appearance  with  a  small  map. 

"Your  pardon,  Senores,  that  I  have  been  so  long," 
apologized  Eafael,  sitting  down  promptly,  and  spreading 
out  the  map  on  his  own  and  Philip's  knees.  ' '  Look,  now, 
mis  amigos,  and  I  will  tell  you  how  this  campaign  will  be 
conducted!" 

"  How  do  you  know,  Senor?  Are  you  in  the  confidence 
of  Xuarez?" 

"  I  am  a  gentleman,  no  traitor! "  replied  Eafael,  haugh- 
tily, to  the  insulting  question  of  the  Intendante.  "I 
know  something  of  Don  Hypolito's  plans,  because  he  spoke 
of  them  to  Don  Jose  de  Tejada.  Before  the  revolt  of  the 
fleet  I  was  a  visitor  at  the  house  of  that  gentleman,  and 
so  learned  much.  Had  Don  Jose*  known  that  I  would 
remain  true  to  the  Eepublic,  he  would  have  been  more 
cautious.  As  it  was,  he  spoke  sufficiently  clearly  to  let  me 
understand  the  broad  outlines  of  the  campaign  as  designed 
by  Xuarez." 

"Bueno!"  said  the  Intendante,  politely,  "I  ask  your 
pardon,  Don  Eafael.     And  this  plan?" 
11 


162  THE   HAKLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  Behold! "  said  Rafael,  tracing  with  his  finger  the 
various  points;  "  here  is  Acauhtzin — there  Tlatonac — and 
at  the  extreme  south  you  see  Janjalla!  This  last  town  will 
be  attacked  first." 

"  And  the  reason?  " 

"Carrai!  can  you  not  see,  Senor  Garibay?  Between 
Tlatonac  and  Acauhtzin  are  nothing  but  mountains;  no 
roads,  no  open  spaces.  All  giant  hills,  terrible  precipices, 
a  few  paths  made  by  Indians,  and  inhospitable  deserts 
where  the  land  happens  to  be  flat  for  a  few  miles.  How 
then  can  Xuarez  convey  his  army  to  the  capital  in  that 
direction  ?  " 

"True,  true!    And  most  of  the  soldiers  are  dragoons." 

"  Certainly,  he  could  attack  Tlatonac  with  Indians,  who 
are  used  to  their  rugged  country;  but  savages,  as  Xuarez 
well  knows,  can  do  little  or  nothing  against  trained  troops. 
In  conjunction  with  his  own  army  they  can  do  something; 
but  alone  they  are  almost  useless.  Bueno!  You  see  he 
will  not  attack  from  the  north." 

"But  why  attack  Janjalla  instead  of  Tlatonac?"  asked 
Tim,  who  was  anxiously  following  this  discussion,  pencil 
and  note-book  in  hand. 

"  Look  to  the  south,"  replied  Don  Rafael,  promptly. 
"No  mountains  between  Janjalla  and  Tlatonac;  nothing 
but  rich  plains;  broad  spaces  on  which  armies  can  maneu- 
ver. Now,  if  Xuarez  conveys  his  troops  by  the  war-ships 
south  to  Janjalla,  he  can  bombard  and  perhaps  take  that 
city." 

"I  the  Intendante  deny  that!  " 

"Impossible  to  take  Janjalla,"  echoed  Velez,  nodding 
his  head  wisely. 

Rafael  shrugged  his  shoulders.  It  was  next  to  impos- 
sible to  argue  with  these  obstinate  people,  who  would  only 
look  at  one  side  of  the  question. 

"  We  will  grant  that  Janjalla  falls  into  the  power  of 
Xuarez,"  said  Garibay, impatiently;  "and  afterward?" 

"Afterward,"  resumed  the  young  man,  "Xuarez  will 
garrison  the  town,  and  concentrate  all  his  troops  there." 

"Thus  leaving  Acauhtzin  open  to  attack,"  said  Jack, 
satirically. 

"By  no  means.  The  war-ships  will  prevent  our  troops 
getting  to  that  town.  We  can  not  get  to  it  by  land,  and 
the  sea  will  be  blockaded  by  the  rebel  fleet." 


AWAY  TO   THE  NORTH.  1G3 

"  Unless  the  torpederas — " 

"  True!  unless  the  torpederas  arrive/'  replied  Rafael,  sig- 
nificantly; "but  it  is  doubtful  as  to  whether  the  Junta  or 
Xuarez  will  get  them.  However,  I  am  only  supposing  all 
these  things  being  in  favor  of  the  Oposidores." 

"  Bueno!  We  will  look  at  the  matter  from  Don  Hypo- 
lito's  point  of  view,"  said  Philip,  quietly.  "  His  troops 
are  concentrated  at  Jan  jalla.  Between  that  town  and  Tla- 
tonac are  open  plains;  and,"  added  Philip,  dryly,  "  the 
armies  of  the  Republic!  " 

"  Certainly.  But  let  us  presume,  for  the  sake  of  argu- 
ment, that  Xuarez  makes  three  simultaneous  attacks. 
"With  his  regular  army  on  the  plains,  with  the  Indians  from 
the  north  on  Tlatonac,  and  from  the  sea  by  a  bombardment 
from  the  war-ships." 

"Dios!"  muttered  Garibay,  biting  his  fingers;  "that 
man  is  a  general." 

"  The  troops  of  the  Republic  will  conquer  everywhere," 
said  Don  Alonzo,  gravely. 

"  Everywhere!"  repeated  his  umbra. 

"  It  is  to  be  hoped  so,  Senores,"  said  Tim,  significantly; 
"  the  Republic  will  need  all  the  help  she  can  get  to  defend 
herself  in  three  places  at  once." 

"  In  my  opinion,"  observed  Rafael,  calmly,  "  there  is 
only  one  way  to  end  the  war." 

"And  that  is?" 

"  By  a  naval  victory.  The  Junta  must  secure  the  tor- 
pederas. We  must  have  more  war-ships,  and  cripple  Don 
Hypolito's  power  on  the  sea.  Then  he  will  be  unable  to 
convey  his  troops  to  Janjalla,  unable  to  bombard  Tlatonac, 
and  remain  shut  up  in  Acauhtzin,  where  we  can  crush  him 
at  our  leisure." 

Garibay  disagreed  with  this  view  of  the  matter,  and 
accused  Rafael  of  looking  solely  at  the  matter  from  a  naval 
point  of  view.  A  hot  discussion  ensued,  in  which  every 
possible  attack,  repulse,  strategy,  and  battle  was  talked 
over  far  into  the  night.  Philip  and  Jack  grew  weary  of 
this  incessant  argument,  and  slipped  down  to  the  saloon, 
where  they  chatted  about  Dolores.  Overhead  they  heard 
the  hot-tempered  Spaniards  arguing  fiercely,  and  several 
times  thought  they  would  come  to  blows,  so  warm  grew  the 
discussion. 


164  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

"  Egad,  Jack!  I'm  glad  this  voyage  ends  to  morrow, w 
said  Philip,  as  they  turned  in,  "  or  they  will  certainly 
murder  one  another." 

A  grunt  was  Jack's  unsatisfactory  reply.  He  was  almost 
asleep,  and  already  dreaming  of  rescuing  Dolores  from  the 
clutches  of  Don  Hypolito. 

After  a  time  those  on  deck  grew  tired  of  such  unprofit- 
able talk,  and  one  by  one  came  down  to  snatch  a  few  hours' 
sleep.  In  the  space  of  fifteen  minutes  every  one  was  snor- 
ing, and  the  yacht  flew  northward  with  her  cargo  of  sleep- 
ing men.  Benker  was  in  charge  of  the  wheel,  and,  as  he 
had  been  in  these  waters  years  before,  knew  every  inch  of 
the  coast.  Keeping  the  boat  about  a  mile  from  the  shore, 
he  headed  her  straight  for  Acauhtzin,  which  was  many 
miles  away,  in  the  curve  of  the  land  where  it  stretched 
eastward  into  the  Carribean  Sea, 

It  was  a  perfectly  calm  night.  Stars  and  moon,  a  placid 
sea,  and  the  yacht  swirling  through  the  liquid  plain  with  a 
slight  roll.  To  the  right  the  infinite  expanse  of  the  waters 
heaving  against  the  horizon;  to  the  left  the  long,  low  line 
of  the  coast,  with  its  dim  masses  of  foliage,  and  here  and 
there  a  snow-clad  mountain-peak.  Benker  twirled  the 
wheel,  chewed  his  quid,  and  looked  every  now  and  then  in 
disgust  at  the  sleeping  forms  of  the  soldiers  encumbering 
the  white  decks  of  the  yacht.  Moonlight  and  starlight, 
the  throb  of  the  screw,  the  singing  of  the  wind  through 
the  rigging,  and  the  hiss  of  the  waves  seething  past;  it 
was  wonderfully  beautiful.  The  boat  sped  onward  like  a 
shadow  amid  a  world  of  shadows,  and  the  most  prosaic  soul 
would  have  been  touched  by  the  profound  beauty  of  this 
watery  world.  Not  so  Simon  Benker.  He  was  used  to  it 
all,  and  regarded  nothing  but  his  work  and  the  soldiers. 

Then  the  east  began  to  palpitate  with  the  coming  dawn. 
Lines  of  dim  light  low  down  on  the  horizon;  yellow  bands 
which  melted  to  pale  green  and  flushed  to  delicate  rose 
colors.  Higher  and  higher  the  coming  day  dyed  the  sky 
in  opaline  hues;  the  stars  fled  westward;  the  wan  moon, 
paling  before  this  fierce  splendor,  hid  her  face  behind  a 
bank  of  clouds.  The  dark  world  of  waters  became  tinged 
with  rainbow  hues,  then  one  thick  yellow  shaft  of  light 
smote  the  zenith  with  heavy  brilliance.  Eay  after  ray  shot 
out  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel,  and  suddenly  the  intolerable 
glory  of  the  sun  leaped  from  the  nether  world. 


AWAY   TO   THE   NORTH.  165 

"Yonder,"  said  Jack  to  Philip.,  who  had  come  on  deck 
to  seethe  sun  rise — "yonder,  my  boy,  is  the  Harlequin 
Opal!" 

"  If  it  is  as  brilliant  and  as  many-tinted  as  that/'  replied 
the  baronet,  staring  at  the  gorgeous  sky  and  sea,  "  it  must 
indeed  be  a  wonderful  gem.  Benker,  how  is  she  going?" 

"  You  have  no  soul,"  said  Duval,  turning  away.  "  I  am 
going  down  to  have  a  tub." 

He  thereupon  vanished  again,  and  was  shortly  followed  by 
Philip,  after  he  had  satisfied  himself  that  The  Bohemian 
had  done  good  work  during  the  hours  of  darkness.  After- 
ward they  awoke  their  sleeping  companions  and  had  break- 
fast, when  the  Spaniards  were  introduced  to  several  English 
dishes,  of  which  they  approved  greatly. 

The  heavens  were  now  a  pale  turquoise  blue;  the  sun, 
mounting  toward  the  zenith,  was  already  beginning  to  burn 
hotly,  and  all  were  assembled  on  deck  impatiently  waiting 
to  catch  sight  of  their  destination.  Here  and  there  on  the 
green  shore,  amid  the  forests,  they  could  see  Indian  settle- 
ments, and  at  times  light  canoes  skimmed  the  surface  of 
the  waves.  Toward  eleven  o'clock  a  white  spot  appeared 
on  the  land  straight  ahead.  Don  Rafael,  who  was  standing 
by  Philip,  toached  the  young  man's  arm. 

"  Acauhtzin!"  he  said,  cheerfully;  "we  will  be  therein 
the  hour."  Philip  looked  at  his  watch. 

"We  left  Tlatonac  at  four  yesterday;  we  will  reach 
Acauhtzin  at  twelve  to-day.  Three  hundred  miles  in  twenty 
hours;  that  is  not  bad  for  slow  steaming.  Had  I  kept 
her  at  full  speed,  she  would  have  done  it  in  fifteen ! " 

Tim,  who  had  his  glass  up,  gave  an  exclamation  of 
surprise. 

"What  is  it,  Tim?" 

"  Three  war-ships  are  lying  in  the  harbor." 

"  I  thought  as  much,"  replied  Philip,  calmly;  "  we  will 
have  to  run  the  blockade." 

Tim  pointed  upward  to  the  Union  Jack. 

"If  they  fire  on  that,"  he  said,  slowly,  "Xuarez  is  not 
the  clever  man  I  take  him  to  be.  What  do  you  say, 
Jack?" 

"Say!"   repeated  Jack,  who  was  looking  ahead  with 
clenched   fists;   "that  one  of  those  three  ships  is   The 
Pizarro,  and  that  Dolores  is  on  board." 
11 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


ACAUHTZIST. 

Here,  where  mingle  rocks  and  sands, 
Phantom-like  the  city  stands, 
Looming,  vague  and  ghostly  pale, 
Through  the  dawning's  misty  veil. 
Day  and  night,  and  night  and  day, 
At  the  foot  of  ramparts  gray; 
Just  a  stone-throw  up  the  shore 
Ever-hungry  surges  roar, 
As  they  would  rejoice  to  tear 
From  her  heights  that  city  fair, 
Where,  engirt  by  forests  green, 
Pr^ud  she  sits,  a  laureled  queen. 
Dim  the  mighty  fabric  gleams, 
As  thought-built  in  magic  dreams. 
'Tis  some  palace  city  hoary, 
Famed  in  song  for  golden  jilory,        ^ 
Which  at  dawn  will  fade  away 
In  the  traitor-light  of  day. 

The  city  of  Acauhtzin  was  not  unlike  the  capital  in 
appearance,  though  it  differed  from  Tlatonac  in  being  built 
on  a  projecting  point  of  land  instead  of  on  a  hill.  On 
either  side  were  mountains,  partially  inclosing  a  deep 
basin,  wherein  the  war-ships  were  anchored;  and  on  a 
tongue  of  rock  jutting  into  the  center  of  this  pool  the  city 
was  built.  The  walls,  white  and  glistening,  arose  sheer 
from  the  rocky  cliffs,  and  above  them  only  a  few  steeples 
and  towers  could  be  seen.  The  walls  encompassing  the 
tongue  of  rock  formed  a  kind  of  citadel,  and  then  ran 
along  the  inshore  for  some  distance  on  each  side,  terminat- 
ing in  well-defended  forts.  At  the  back  of  the  city  arose 
a  high  mountain,  clothed  with  green  forests,  from  amidst 
which  a  mighty  peak  of  snow  shot  up  grandly  into  the 
bine  sky. 

Philip  saw  all  this  when  the  yacht  was  some  distance 
away,  and  at  once  pronounced  his  opinion  of  the  place. 

(1C6) 


ACAUHTZIN.  167 

"  It  is  like  Valetta,"  he  said,  handing  the  glass  to  Jack. 
"  The  city  is  built  on  a  tongue  of  land,  the  walls  rise  in 
the  same  precipitous  fashion,  and  there  are  harbors  on 
either  side.  Were  it  not  for  that  mighty  peak,  and  the 
mountains  to  right  and  left,  it  would  be  the  Valetta  of  the 
New  World." 

On  the  flag-tower  of  the  principal  fort  floated  the 
banner  of  the  insurgent  leader,  the  same  in  all  respects  as 
that  of  the  Republic  save  that  the  color  was  red  instead  of 
yellow.  The  Harlequin  Opal  was  so  interwoven  with  the 
history  and  superstitions  of  the  Cholacacans  that  Xuarez 
could  not  afford  to  dispense  with  so  powerful  a  symbol,  and 
on  the  crimson  ground  of  the  flag  gleamed  the  representa- 
tion of  the  stone,  shooting  its  myriad  rays.  At  the 
entrance  of  the  harbor  were  anchored  two  heavily  armed 
war-ships,  which  Don  Rafael  recognized  as  The  Cortes  and 
The  Columbus.  His  own  vessel,  The  Pizarro,  lay  farther 
in  to  the  shore,  almost,  across  the  gate  which  pierced  the 
wall  of  the  great  fort,  and  gave  admission  to  the  city. 

With  the  Union  Jack  flying  at  her  mast-head  The 
Bohemian  steamed  boldly  into  the  harbor  between  the 
threatening  bulk  of  the  two  men-of-war.  Through  their 
glasses  thos£.on  board  the  yacht  could  see  there  was  much 
excitement  at  her  unexpected  appearance,  both  on  the 
ships  and  on  shore.  A  crowd  of  people  poured  out  of  the 
gate  like  a  swarm  of  bees,  as  The  Bohemian,  slowing  down 
her  engines,  swung  gracefully  to  anchor  beside  The 
Pizarro.  Just  as  she  cleared  the  war-ships  at  the 
entrance,  a  puff  of  smoke  broke  from  the  black  sides  of 
The  Cortes,  whereat  Tim  uttered  an  exclamation  of 
rage. 

"  It's  insulting  the  flag  they  are!  " 

"  No;  blank  cartridge,"  replied  Philip,  shrewdly;  "they 
are  saluting  the  Union  Jack.  Don  Hypolito  evidently 
wants  to  stand  well  with  England.  See,  they  are  dipping 
their  flags." 

The  three  war-ships  lowered  their  pennants  for  a  moment 
in  salutation  to  the  English  flag,  and  then  ran  them  up 
again  to  the  mast-head.  Philip  had  by  this  time  brought 
The  Bohemian  directly  under  the  guns  of  the  fort,  so  that, 
in  any  event,  she  would  be  safe;  the  forts  could  not 
depress  their  guns  sufficiently  to  damage  her,  and  the  war- 


168  THE   HAKLEQUIN   OPAL. 

ships  would  not  dare  to  fire  lest  they  should  injure  thv. 
ramparts  of  the  town. 

Making  everything  safe  by  this  artful  maneuver,  Philip, 
with  the  sanction  of  Don  Alonzo,  hauled  down  the  Union 
Jack  to  hoist  the  Republican  banner.  At  first  the  forts 
thought  the  English  ship  was  responding  to  their  salute, 
and  several  guns  thundered  a  welcome  to  the  stranger, 
while  the  crowd  on  the  shore  cheered  lustily.  All  these 
greetings,  however,  were  changed  to  cries  of  anger  when 
the  yellow  banner  of  Tlatonac  flew  up  to  the  mast-head  of 
The  Bohemian.  Without  doubt,  had  the  yacht  been  out- 
side the  war-ships  would  have  opened  fire  on  this  audacious 
vessel,  to  make  her  pay  for  such  insolence;  but  Philip,  being 
safe  under  the  walls  of  the  fort,  could  fly  the  flag  with 
impunity. 

The  crowd  on  the  beach  and  wharf  roared  with  rage  as 
they  saw  the  hated  ensign,  and  recognized  the  fact  that  by 
this  audacious  piece  of  strategy  a  band  of  their  enemies  had 
gained  admission  into  the  very  heart  of  their  harbor.  Had 
those  on  shore  been  able  to  get  on  board  The  Bohemian  it 
would  have  gone  ill  with  Philip  and  his  friends;  but,  for- 
tunately, the  yacht  had  cast  anchor  some  distance  away, 
by  the  side  of  The  Pizarro.  The  crew  of  the  war-ship 
lined  the  side  of  their  vessel  to  look  at  the  daring  intruder; 
and  seeing  this  Don  Eafael,  suppressing  all  outward  signs 
of  rage,  swore  fluently  to  himself  as  he  recognized  the 
renegades. 

In  a  remarkably  short  space  of  time  a  boat,  with  the 
rebel  flag  hanging  over  its  stern,  pulled  out  from  the  shore, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  came  alongside  The  Bohemian.  A 
ladder  was  thrown  over  at  once,  and  there  stepped  on  deck 
Don  Jose"  de  Tejada,  accompanied  by  a  few  officers.  He 
recognized  Don  Alonzo  and  his  friends  at  once,  for  they 
had  been  intimates  of  his  before  the  outbreak  of  this  fratri- 
cidal war. 

"Don  Eafael!  Don  Alonzo! "said  Tejada,  in  astonish- 
ment. "What  is  the  meaning  of  this,  Senores?  And 
how  have  you  the  hardihood  to  display  the  flag  of  Tlatonac 
under  the  guns  of  Acauhtzin?" 

"I  the  Intendante,  with  these  gentlemen,  have  come 
hither  on  a  mission  to  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez  from  the 
Junta  of  Cholacaca." 


ACAUHTzrsr.  169 

"  Oh,  you  would  make  peace !  The  Junta  fear  for  them- 
selves ! " 

"Carajo,  no!"  cried  Garibay,  clapping  his  hand  to  his 
sword.  "The  Junta  fear  none;  much  less  the  rebel 
Xuarez." 

"Beware,  Sefioiy"  said  Tejada,  as  several  of  his  officers 
muttered  angrily.  "  I  can  not  protect  you  if  thus  you 
speak  of  our  honored  President." 

"President!"  cried  Rafael,  in  a  rage. 

"Yes;  the  President  of  Cholacaca." 

"Don  Francisco  Gomez  is  President." 

"  By  the  will  of  the  aristocrats,"  said  Don  Jose,  fiercely; 
"but  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez  is  President  by  the  will  of  the 
people." 

"Enough  of  this!"  exclaimed  the  Intendante,  waving 
his  hand;  "we  are  here  under  a  flag  of  truce.  Even  you, 
Sefior,  must  respect  that.  We  will  deliver  our  message  to 
Xuarez,  and  depart  unharmed." 

"  That  is  as  Don  Hypolito  wills  it." 

"Your  pardon,  Sefior,"  interposed  Philip,  taking  off  his 
yachting-cap;  "this  is  an  English  vessel,  and  as  such  you 
dare  not  seize  her." 

"I  recognize  no  vessel  as  English  under  those  colors," 
said  Tejada,  fiercely,  pointing  to  the  opal  banner. 

"Bueno!     I  will  endeavor  to  remove  your  prejudice." 

In  another  moment  Philip  had  given  orders  to  Benker, 
and  the  Union  Jack  was  flying  at  the  other  mast-head. 

"You  must  respect  our  neutrality  now,  Sefior." 

Don  Jose  bit  his  lip,  and  turning  to  one  of  his  officers 
gave  an  order.  The  soldier  bowed,  dropped  over  the  side 
of  the  yacht,  and  went  ashore  in  the  boat. 

"I  have  sent  to  tell  Don  Hypolito  that  an  embassy  has 
come  from  Tlatonac,"  said  Tejada,  addressing  the  Intend- 
ante with  marked  coldness;  "in  ten  or  fifteen  minutes 
you  will  know  his  decision." 

"  He  must  receive  us,  Senor." 

"No  doubt;  but  the  question  is,  Will  he  let  you  depart? " 

"  By  the  law  of  nations,  which  recognizes  the  white  flag, 
he  must  let  us  go  as  we  came,  unharmed." 

"Had  you  not  sailed  under  the  English  ensign,  you 
would  not  have  got  into  the  harbor  so  easily.  This  boat 
would  be  now  sunk  by  the  guns  of  The  Cortes." 


170  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  I  thought  as  much/'  said  Philip,  easily;  "  therefore  I 
flew  a  flag  which  even  you  had  to  respect." 

"  And  may  I  ask,  Senores,"  sneered  Don  Jose",  with 
elaborate  politeness,  "under  which  flag  you  sail — the 
English,  the  opal,  or  the  white?" 

"Under  the  white/'  replied  Garibay,  promptly. 

"Good!  Then  lower  those  two  banners  and  run  up  the 
white  flag." 

"I'll  see  you  hanged  first!"  retorted  Philip,  bluntly. 
"This  is  an  English  vessel,  and  I  defy  you  to  touch  it  or 
the  flag." 

Tejada  blushed  red  with  rage,  for  he  knew  that  Xuarez, 
anxious  to  stand  well,  in  his  quarrel,  with  the  great  nations 
of  Europe,  would  not  dare  to  insult  the  Union  Jack.  In 
fact,  seeing  that  the  deputation  had  arrived  in  an  English 
vessel,  Tejada  was  well  assured  in  his  own  mind  that  it 
would  be  received  and  sent  away  with  the  utmost  courtesy, 
let  their  message  from  the  Junta  be  galling  as  it  might  be. 
Xuarez  was  no  barbarian,  and  in  any  case  would  have 
treated  a  flag  of  truce  with  honor;  but  the  presence  of 
these  English  gentlemen,  of  this  English  ship,  put  the 
matter  beyond  all  doubt. 

Under  these  circumstances  Tejada  was  unable  to  reply 
to  Sir  Philip;  but,  suppressing  his  wrath  with  a  great  effort, 
bowed  politely  and  turned  away.  As  he  did  so  Don  Rafael 
sprang  forward,  as  also  did  Jack,  both  eager  to  learn  if 
Dolores  was  in  the  town. 

"  I  will  speak,  amigo,"  said  Eafael,  hurriedly,  to  Jack. 
"  I  know  Don  Jose  as  my  private  friend,  though  public 
enemy;  he  will  answer  me." 

"Your  servant,  Senor!"  remarked  Tejada,  stiffly,  find- 
ing himself  face  to  face  with  Don  Eafael. 

"Senor,"  said  the  young  man,  taking  off  his  sombrero 
with  ceremonious  politeness,  "we  are  enemies  because  we 
follow  different  leaders;  but  I  implore  you,  by  the  friendship 
which  once  existed  between  us,  to  answer  a  question  I 
would  ask." 

"Surely,  Senor!  You  were  ever  welcome  at  my  table 
in  time  of  peace.  As  you  say,  we  are  now  enemies;  but 
God  forbid  that  this  unhappy  war  should  banish  all  court- 
esies between  gentlemen.  What  question  do  you  wish  to 
put,  Senor?  It  shall  be  answered." 


ACAUHTZIX.  171 

"  Is  my  cousin — is  Dona  Dolores  at  Acauhtzin?" 

Tejada  started,  and  seemed  much  surprised. 

"No,  Senor  Maraquando,  she  is  not  here.  Why  ask  me 
such  a  strange  question  ?  " 

"Not here!"  cried  Jack,  who  also  knew  Tejada  well; 
"but  she  must  be  here,  Senor  Tejada;  she  has  been  carried 
off  from  Tlatonac,  taken  on  board  yonder  vessel" — point- 
ing to  The  Pizarro — "  and  is  now  in  Acauhtzin  with  Don 
Hypolito." 

"  I  swear  to  you,  Senor  Duval,  that  you  wrong  us.  You 
wrong  Don  Hypolito,"  replied  Don  Jose",  earnestly.  "I 
am  aware  that  our  leader  loves  Dona  Dolores,  and  desires 
to  marry  her,  but  he  would  not  carry  her  off  so  basely. 
No,  Senor,"  continued  Tejada,  proudly,  "we  are  men  of 
honor;  we  do  not  make  war  on  women.  "When  Don  Hypo- 
lito conquers,  he  will  ask  for  the  honor  of  Dona  Dolores' 
hand  in  due  form.  She  is  not  here,  I  swear." 

"Great  heavens!"  cried  Jack,  in  despair,  "can  this 
be  true?" 

"  Don  Jose1,"  said  Eafael,  eagerly,  "  I  know  you  to  be  a 
man  of  honor.  I  do  not  doubt  your  word;  but  I  feel  sure 
that  my  cousin  is  here." 

"Senor!" 

"I  do  not  say  that  you  know,  or  are  deceiving  me," 
went  on  Rafael,  rapidly.  "But  look  you,  Don  Jose". 
There  is  a  zambo  called  Pepe  who  acted  as  a  spy  for  your 
party  at  Tlatonac.  The  other  night  he  decoyed  my  cousin 
from  the  cathedral  on  board  The  Pizarro.  A  fisherman 
saw  Pepe  rowing  to  the  war-ship  with  a  female  in  his 
boat." 

"Bueno!  that  is  so,"  interrupted  Tejada,  bluntly;  "but 
the  woman  was  a  poblana,  one  Marina." 

"  Marina! "  cried  Duval,  savagely.  "  Then  I  have  been 
tricked.  We  have  all  been  wrong!  Dona  Dolores  must 
be  with  the  Indians." 

"I  trust,  Senor,  your  fears  are  groundless;  but  if  Dona 
Dolores  is  with  the  Indians,  she  will  be  quite  safe.  They 
reverence  her  as  the  guardian  of  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac." 

"  Does  Don  Hypolito  know  anything  about  the  Indi- 
ans?" asked  Eafael,  hurriedly. 

"That  question,  Senor,  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  answer." 

Rafael  cast  one  swift  and   penetrating  glance  at  the 


172  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

impassive  face  of  the  old  man,  and  turned  away  with  a 
suppressed  oath. 

"Carrai! "  he  muttered,  fiercely,  to  Philip,  who  stood  by, 
a  silent  spectator.  "  I  believe  Xuarez  is  in  league  with 
the  Indians,  and  has  made  them  carry  her  off.  If  she  is 
not  here  she  is  at  that  hidden  temple;  but  in  either  event 
Don  Hypolito  is  mixed  up  with  the  case." 

"  In  my  humble  opinion  she  is  at  Acauhtzin,"  said 
Philip,  quietly.  "  Don  Jose  does  not  know  all  the  black 
dealings  of  Xuarez'  heart.  Cheer  up,  my  dear  Jack;  we 
will  soon  see  Don  Hypolito,  and  wring  the  truth  from 
him." 

Jack  muttered  something  indistinctly,  and  turned  away, 
whereon  Philip,  taking  him  kindly  by  the  arm,  led  him 
down  to  the  saloon,  with  the  intention  of  giving  him  such 
consolation  as  he  was  able. 

"If  she  is  here,  Xuarez  must  know,"  said  Philip, 
earnestly;  "and  if  he  knows,  he  will  not  be  able  to  deceive 
me.  I  can  read  most  faces,  and  it  will  be  strange  indeed 
if  Don  Hypolito's  is  the  first  to  baffle  me." 

"Don  Jose  denies  everything." 

"Yes,  because  Don  Jose'  knows  nothing.  That  old 
man  is  a  pompous  old  ass,  like  the  Intendante.  Many 
things  could  take  place  under  his  nose  without  his  being 
any  the  wiser.  Drink  this  glass  of  wine,  my  dear  lad,  and 
keep  up  your  spirits.  We  will  find  Dolores  yet." 

Duval  was  so  overcome  by  the  loss  of  Dolores  that  he 
submitted  to  Philip's  orders  like  a  child,  and  immediately 
drank  the  wine  poured  out  for  him.  In  most  emergencies 
Jack  would  have  been  ready  to  act  at  once  with  a  cool 
head,  and  with  courage;  but  Dolores  was  very  dear  to  him, 
and  her  loss  had  rendered  him  useless  for  the  moment;  in 
other  words,  the  shock  had  paralyzed  his  will. 

After  Philip  had  succeeded  in  putting  some  heart  into 
the  poor  fellow,  he  insisted  on  his  coming  on  deck,  and 
they  ascended  thereto  just  in  time  to  see  the  return  of  the 
officer  sent  by  Tejada  to  Don  Hypolito.  The  messenger 
walked  straight  up  to  Don  Jose,  and  gave  the  reply  of 
Xuarez,  on  hearing  which  Tejada  turned  toward  the  wait- 
ing Intendante. 

"  His  Excellency  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez  will  see  you  at 
his  palace." 


ACAUHTZItf.  173 

Don  Alonzo  almost  choked  with  rage  at  hearing  these 
terms  applied  to  a  rebel  like  Xuarez;  but  managed  to  bow 
with  tolerably  good  grace.  He  moved  toward  the  side  of 
the  yacht,  and  scrambled  down  into  the  boat  in  a  some- 
what ungraceful  fashion  for  an  embassador.  Colonel  Gari- 
bay,  Don  Rafael,  and  the  Englishmen  followed,  together 
with  Tejada  and  his  staff. 

Tim,  who  had  been  fraternizing  with  the  rebels,  showed 
his  note-book  to  Jack,  filled  with  shorthand  notes. 

"  I've  got  no  end  of  information/'  he  said,  gleefully; 
"  and  when  I  get  back  to  Tlatonac,  it  goes  to  The  Morning 
Planet  straight." 

"  That  is  if  we  ever  do  get  back,"  said  Jack,  gloomily. 

"Of  course  we  will,  you  pessimist;  and,  what's  more, 
we'll  take  back  Dona  Dolores  with  us." 

"Do  you  think  she  is  here,  then,  after  all?"  asked 
Duval,  with  reviving  hope. 

Tim  winked  in  a  vulgar  fashion. 

"  A  word  in  your  ear,  Jack,"  he  said,  jerking  his  head 
in  the  direction  of  the  pompous  Tejada;  "  that  old  man's  a 
liar.  The  pretty  colleen  is  here,  and  Don  Jose*  knows  it; 
but  she's  not  with  Don  Hypolito." 

"  Then  where  do  you  think  she  is?  " 

"With  BafaeFs  sweetheart,  no  less;  the  old  man's 
daughter. " 

"  Dona  Carmencita?  " 

"  You've  hit  it." 

Jack  would  have  questioned  Tim  further,  so  as  to  learn 
his  grounds  for  such  a  belief,  but  just  then  the  boat 
touched  the  stone  steps  of  the  wharf.  The  embassy 
stepped  ashore,  and  waited  till  the  soldiers  of  Tlatonac 
arrived.  Don  Alonzo,  with  a  due  regard  for  the  dignity  of 
the  Republic,  refused  to  move  until  his  body-guard  came  on 
shore.  In  a  few  minutes  the  soldiers  landed,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Velez,  and  thus  escorted  the  embas- 
sador of  the  Republic  moved  slowly  forward  under  the 
mighty  arch  which  led  into  the  heart  of  the  rebel  capital. 

"We've  got  in,  Senor,"  whispered  Rafael  to  Philip,  with 
sudden  doubt;  "but  I  hope  we  will  be  able  to  get  out." 

Philip  pointed  back  to  the  Union  Jack,  which  could  V" 
seen  in  the  distance  at  the  yacht's  mast-head. 

"While  that  flag  is  there  I  have  no  fear,  Don  Rafael/ 


CHAPTER  XV. 


DON   HYPOLITO   XUAREZ. 

A  visionary?    Wherefore  not?    All  men 

Who  change  the  world  are  dreamers  in  their  youth. 

Thought  conies  before  fulfillment!    In  the  earth 

The  hidden  seedling  hints  the  future  flower! 

So  is  it  with  this  man!     For  years  his  brain 

Hath  dallied  with  a  thousand  fantasies, 

Which  had  no  being  save  within  himself. 

But  now  his  dreams  take  shape!    With  purpose  firm, 

He  aida  their  due  fulfillment,  till  therefrom 

New  heavens  and  earth  are  formed;  and  ancient  things 

Crashing  to  ruin,  as  foundations  serve 

Whereon  to  build  earth's  future  destinies. 

There  was  no  doubt  that  Don  Hypolito  laid  due  stress 
on  ceremonial  observances  as  necessary  to  consolidate  his 
pretensions.  On  the  ground  that  Gomez  had  broken  the 
constitutional  rules  by  which  he  held  his  position,  Xuarez 
proclaimed  himself  saviour  and  President  of  the  Cholacacan 
Republic.  Not  being  in  possession  of  Tlatonac,  he  consti- 
tuted Acauhtzin  his  capital  for  the  time  being,  and  there 
assumed  all  the  airs  of  a  ruler.  He  called  himself  by  the 
title  of  President,  his  personal  staff  and  intimate  friends 
constituted  a  kind  of  revolutionary  Junta,  and  the  build- 
ing in  which  this  illegal  assemblage  met  for  conference  was 
dignified  with  the  name  of  the  Palacio  National.  In  all 
respects  the  machinery  of  the  lawful  Government  was 
copied  at  Acauhtzin,  and  that  town  was  regarded  by  the 
Oposidores  as  the  true  capital  of  the  country  until  such  time 
as  Xuarez  should  enforce  his  pretensions  by  marching  in 
triumph  into  the  head  city  of  the  Republic.  As  in  the 
Middle  Ages  two  Popes  ruled — the  one  at  Rome,  the  other 
at  Avignon — so  the  allegiance  of  Cholacaca  was  claimed  by 
two  Presidents — Gomez  at  Tlatonac,  Xuarez  at  Acauhtzin. 

The  extraordinary  man  who  avowed  himself  the  savior 
of  the  country  possessed  in  a  marked  degree  the  power  of 
dominating  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  by  the  per- 

(174) 


DON   HYPOLITO   XUAREZ.  175 

sonal  charm  of  his  manner.  This  demonic  influence  is  a 
peculiar  characteristic  of  all  great  men.  without  which 
they  could  not  hope  to  accomplish  their  missions.  Napo- 
leon changed  the  map  of  Europe,  Mahomet  created  a  relig- 
ion, Caesar  consolidated  the  Roman  Empire,  Luther  tore 
half  the  civilized  world  from  the  grip  of  ecclesiastical 
Rome.  These  great  events  sprang,  in  the  first  instance, 
from  the  strong  personality  of  the  men  who  accomplished 
them;  hence  the  performance  of  what  appear  to  be  mira- 
cles. Don  Hypolito  Xuarez,  son  of  a  Spanish  adventurer 
and  an  Indian  woman,  possessed  this  demonic  influence, 
and,  gifted  with  such  power,  arose  from  obscurity  to  the 
full  glory  of  supreme  power.  Nowhere  was  his  authority 
more  noticeable  than  in  Acauhtzin.  Years  before  a  polit- 
ical adventurer,  he  had  been  accepted  by  the  people  of  that 
town  as  their  deputy  to  the  Junta.  Acauhtzin,  always 
jealous  of  the  superiority  of  Tlatonac,  was  desirous  that 
the  seat  of  Government  should  be  transferred  thither  from 
the  city  of  the  opal.  This  ambition  was  fostered  by  the 
crafty  Xuarez,  who  saw  therein  a  safe  way  of  gaining  the 
love  of  the  northern  capital.  After  he  had  accused  Gomez 
in  the  Junta  of  breaking  the  rules  of  the  constitution,  he 
came  northward  to  claim  the  protection  of  his  constitu- 
ents, a  protection  which  was  freely  accorded  to  one  who  had 
their  interests  so  much  at  heart. 

Cunning  Don  Hypolito  saw  his  position  and  how  he 
could  better  it.  Casting  all  his  fortunes  on  one  bold 
stroke,  he  assembled  the  Acauhtzinas  in  the  great  Plaza, 
and  harangued  them  with  all  his  marvelous  powers  of 
oratory.  Gomez  had  tampered  with  the  sacred  constitu- 
tion of  Cholacaca.  Gomez  was  therefore  unworthy  to 
occupy  the  Presidential  chair.  One  man  alone  could  save 
the  country;  that  man  was  himself.  Let  them  throw  in 
their  fortunes  with  his,  and  resort  to  arms  to  enforce  his 
elevation  to  the  supreme  power;  then  he  would  transfer 
the  seat  of  Government  from  Tlatonac  to  Acauhtzin,  and 
the  northern  port  would  become  the  greatest  city  in  Cen- 
tral America.  Dazzled  by  this  vision,  the  townspeople 
elected  Don  Hypolito  President  with  enthusiasm,  and 
vowed  to  stand  by  him  to  the  end.  That  end  they  never 
for  a  moment  doubted  would  be  victory  over  the  estab- 
lished Government,  and  the  transference  of  the  seat  of 


JL76  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

power  from  Tlatonac  to  Acanhtzin.  They  firmly  believed 
in  Don  Hypolito  as  the  man  of  the  future,  and  when,  by  a 
skillful  stroke  of  diplomacy,  he  secured  the  support  of  the 
Regimiento  de  Huitzilopochtli  and  of  the  fleet,  his  triumph 
was  complete.  He  who  could  do  so  much  could  do  more! 
The  admiring  Acauhtzinas  swore  by  the  brilliant  advent- 
urer, and  when  the  message  carried  by  Don  Alonzo 
arrived  at  the  northern  capital,  the  crafty  Mestizo  was  the 
idol  of  the  populace.  The  ironical  part  of  the  whole  affair 
was  that  he  had  no  intention  of  fulfilling  any  promises 
made  to  the  trusting  Acauhtzinas. 

Jack,  owing  to  his  long  residence  in  Tlatonac,  was 
already  acquainted  with  Xuarez,  but  both  Tim  and  Philip 
were  exceedingly  curious  to  behold  this  man,  of  whom 
they  had  heard  so  much,  and  who  seemed  to  hold  the  des- 
tinies of  the  Republic  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand.  In  the 
great  hall  of  the  Palacio  Isacional  (so  called)  they  beheld 
him  for  the  first  time,  waiting  to  receive  the  emissaries  of 
the  Government.  Surrounded  by  a  brilliant  throng  of 
officers,  he  alone  was  plainly  dressed — no  uniform,  no  gaudy 
tints,  no  decorations;  yet  his  personality  raised  him  high 
above  those  by  whom  he  was  encircled.  The  supporters  of 
Xuarez  were  mediocrites;  Xuarez  himself  was  a  great  man. 

The  revolutionary  leader  was  small  of  stature,  ungrace- 
ful in  appearance;  his  legs  were  short,  his  body  was  long, 
so  that  he  rather  waddled  than  walked.  At  first  sight  this 
ungainly  figure,  this  ungraceful  gait,  was  apt  to  bring  a 
smile  to  the  lips  of  the  onlooker,  but  that  smile  faded 
before  the  grand  countenance  surmounting  the  misshapen 
frame.  It  was  as  though  the  head  of  a  Greek  statue 
had  been,  by  mistake,  joined  on  to  the  body  of  a  Poly- 
nesian idol;  the  first  was  so  noble,  the  latter  so  gro- 
tesque. A  Roman  head,  such  as  tradition  ascribes  to  the 
Caesars;  a  Napoleonic  face,  calm,  powerful,  terrible  as  the 
impassive  countenance  of  the  Sphinx;  broad  forehead, 
prominent  nose,  large  eyes,  full  of  fire  and  determination; 
no  beard  or  mustache  to  hide  the  contour  of  the  cheeks, 
the  strong  curve  of  the  mouth;  a  skin  of  marble  whiteness, 
and  the  whole  surmounted  by  masses  of  waving  hair,  dark 
as  the  eyes  beneath.  Such  faces  are  seen  on  the  coins  of 
the  Caesars,  on  the  painted  walls  of  Egyptian  tombs,  on 
the  carven  walls  of  Assyrian  palaces.  They  belong  alone 


DON   HYPOLITO    XUAREZ.  17? 

to  kings,  to  heroes,  to  conquerors.  Nature  marks  her 
great  men  thus.  When  such  faces  of  terrible  calm  appear 
at  intervals  of  centuries,  mankind  trembles,  recognizing 
the  scourges  of  God,  destined  to  whelm  the  world  in  waves 
of  blood.  Philip  came  to  see  Xuarez — he  looked,  and  lo! 
Napoleon. 

"The  struggle  is  unequal,"  he  whispered  to  Jack,  as 
Don  Alonzo  unrolled  his  papers. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Duval,  in  the  same  tone.  "  His  force  is 
too  weak  to  stand  against  the  power  of  the  Junta." 

Philip  smiled  scornfully. 

"  What  can  the  Junta  do  against  that  face?"  he  said, 
contemptuously.  "  There  stands  the  greatest  man  in 
Cholacaca." 

"D n  him,"  muttered  the  engineer,  fiercely,  "he 

has  carried  off  Dolores." 

"  Silence,  boys,"  growled  Tim,  in  a  voice  of  subdued 
thunder;  "the  Don's  speaking." 

The  Intendante  was  not  a  particularly  brave  man,  and 
hardly  liked  the  position  in  which  he  now  found  him- 
self. His  mission  had  appeared  to  be  great  and  grand  and 
glorious  at  Tlatonac;  but  now  it  assumed  quite  a  different 
complexion.  To  utter  threats  against  the  rebel  Xuarez 
when  in  the  society  of  friends  was  one  thing;  to  order  the 
followers  of  the  revolutionary  President  to  give  him  up  to 
punishment  in  the  middle  of  his  army  was  another.  Don 
Alonzo  Cebriau  hemmed  and  hawed,  and  cleared  his  throat, 
to  get  down  a  nasty  lump  which  impeded  his  speech.  Don 
Hypolito  saw  his  confusion,  but  said  nothing;  he  did  not 
even  smile,  but  sat  serenely  in  his  chair,  impenetrable  as 
the  Sphinx.  At  last  the  Intendante  screwed  up  his  cour- 
age and  delivered  the  decree  of  the  Junta — sufficiently 
badly,  it  is  true,  still  he  delivered  it. 

"  As  the  legally  qualified  representative  of  the  Junta  of 
Cholacaca.,  in  congress  assembled,  I  hereby  order  those  in 
arms  against  the  Republic  to  surrender  to  the  Government, 
and  to  deliver  up  for  punishment  the  body  of  the  rebel, 
Hypolito  Xuarez,  for — 

He  did  not  finish  his  sentence.     A  low  murmur  of  rage 
arose  from  the  supporters  of  the  rebel  leader,   and  half- 
drawing    their  swords,   they  looked   toward  Xuarez  for 
authority  to   cut  down  the  daring  man  who  had  thus 
ia 


178  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

insulted  him  in  the  midst  of  his  army.  Don  Alonzo  turned 
pale  at  the  sight  of  the  half-bared  weapons,  and  shrank 
back  among  his  friends;  but  Xuarez,  leaning  his  chin  on 
his  hand,  stared  steadily  before  him  and  waited.  Seeing 
this  impassive  demeanor,  which  he  was  not  clever  enough 
to  know  was  more  dangerous  than  an  outburst  of  rage,  Don 
Alonzo  regained  his  spirits.  A  more  unfitted  diplomatist 
than  Cebrian  could  scarcely  have  been  chosen. 

"  I  need  not  speak  at  any  great  length/'  he  said, 
rapidly.  "The  orders  of  His  Excellency  Francisco  Gomez 
are  that  the  town  of  Acauhtzin  surrender  to  the  Govern- 
ment, deliver  up  the  rebel  Xuarez  for  punishment,  and 
submit  to  the  clemency  of  the  Junta.  If  this  is  done  at 
once  the  Junta  will  be  lenient;  if  not,  the  opal  standard 
will  be  unfurled,  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  Acauhtzin  will 
be  treated  as  rebels.  This  is  the  decree  of  Don  Francisco 
Gomez  on  the  part  of  the  Junta  of  Cholacaca,  delivered  by 
myself,  the  Intend  ante  of  Xicotencatl." 

Then  Cebrian,  having  delivered  his  message  sufficiently 
badly,  rolled  up  his  papers  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  has 
done  his  duty,  and  waited  the  reply  of  the  rebel  leader. 
All  those  on  the  side  of  Xuarez  frowned  heavily,  but  made 
no  demonstration  of  wrath  at  the  insolence  of  the  message. 
They  waited  to  hear  Don  Hypolito  speak.  The  Mestizo 
arose  to  his  feet,  and  addressed  himself,  not  to  the  emis- 
saries of  the  Eepublic,  but  to  his  own  supporters. 

"  Senores,"  he  said,  in  a  singularly  mellow  and  powerful 
voice,  "you  hear  the  decree  of  the  so-called  Junta  of 
Cholacaca.  Lest  you  should  mistake  the  purport  of  the 
message  delivered  by  Don  Alonzo  Cebrian,  I  will  repeat  it 
shortly.  You  are  to  lay  down  your  arms,  surrender  my 
body  to  the  Junta,  and  trust  to  the  tender  mercies  of  your 
rivals  of  Tlatonac  for  judgment.  These  are  the  condi- 
tions which,  if  not  accepted,  will  bring  on  us  the  thunder- 
bolts of  war  from  a  Government  who  have  not  a  navy,  and 
scarce  an  army.  Your  answer?" 

Hitherto  he  had  spoken  in  a  low  tone,  clear  and  distinct, 
but  distinguished  by  no  oratorical  fire.  At  the  last  words, 
however,  his  voice  rang  through  the  hall  like  thunder,  and 
he  repeated  them  with  emphasis. 

"Your  answer,  Senores?" 

"No,  no,  no!  Viva  Xuarez!  Viva  el  gefe!  Abaja, 
Gomez  I" 


DON   HYPOLITO   XUAREZ.  1?9 

Don  Hypolito  listened  to  these  fierce  responses  with  a 
smile  of  pleasure  on  his  usually  immobile  face,  and  when 
the  clamor  died  away,  arose  slowly  to  his  feet.  Facing  the 
messengers  of  the  Kepublic,  he  addressed  them  sharply, 
laconically. 

"You  hear,  Senores.     Go!" 

"  You  refuse!"  said  Don  Alonzo,  scarcely  able  to  believe 
his  ears. 

' '  I  refuse  to  surrender  myself  to  your  tyrants.  The  peo- 
ple of  Acauhtzin  refuse  to  lay  down  their  arms.  Between 
myself  and  the  illegal  Junta  now  sitting  at  Tlatonac  there 
is  no  friendship,  no  trust,  no  faith.  They  proclaim  me  a 
rebel!  I,  Hypolito  Xuarez,  proclaim  war!" 

He  flung  up  his  hand  with  a  fiery  gesture,  and  as  he  did 
so  a  hundred  swords  flashed  from  their  scabbards. 

"War!"  cried  those  in  the  hall.  "War!  Viva 
Xuarez!" 

Don  Alonzo  tore  the  message  of  the  Eepublic  in  twain, 
and  cast  the  pieces  at  the  foot  of  the  dai's  whereon  Xuarez 
was  seated. 

"So  be  it!  "  he  cried,  turning  his  back.     "  War! " 

"Hold!"  said  Xuarez,  in  a  voice  of  thunder.  "You 
came,  Senores,  under  the  protection  of  the  English  flag. 
You  go  with  the  opal  banner  flying  at  your  mast-head. 
Such  a  precaution  was  useless.  I  am  not  a  barbarian  to  fire 
on  a  flag  of  truce;  but  you — you,  Senores,  are  cowards  to 
thus  distrust  an  honorable  foe." 

Before  the  Intendante  could  speak,  Philip  sprang  for- 
ward and  faced  the  speaker. 

"  The  fault,  Senor,  if  fault  it  be,  is  mine.  The  vessel 
in  which  we  came  is  English,  and  therefore  flies  the 
English  flag.  In  the  port  I  hoisted  the  opal  banner  to 
show  that  these  gentlemen  were  on  board,  and  had  come  on 
a  mission  from  the  Junta." 

"An  excellent  explanation! "  sneered  Hypolito,  frown- 
ing, "but  untrue!" 

"Senor!" 

"Untrue,  I  say!  You  thought  I  would  fire  on  your 
ship !  You  looked  on  me  as  a  barbaric  foe !  You  mistrusted 
me!" 

"  And  who  would  not?  "  said  Jack's  deep  voice,  savagely. 
"Who  would  not  mistrust  one  who  makes  war  on  women?" 

"  Be  quiet,  Jack," 


180  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,  Senor  Duval,"  said  Xuarez, 
who  knew  the  young  engineer  quite  well.  "  Explain!  " 

"  Dona  Dolores,  the  niece  of  Don  Miguel  Maraquando, 
has  been  kidnaped  from  Tlatonac!  I  accuse  you  of  car- 
rying her  off ! " 

"  I  deny  it,  Senor!  It  is  false,"  cried  the  rebel  leader,  a 
flush  reddening  the  marble  whiteness  of  his  face.  "  Dona 
Dolores  is  not  in  Acauhtzin." 

"She  may  not  be  here,  Senor,  but  you  know  where 
she  is." 

"  I  do  not,  Senor!     You  have  no  proof  of  what  you  say." 

"Pepe,  the  zambo,  a  spy  in  your  pay,  carried  off  a 
woman  from  Tlatonac,"  cried  Rafael,  stepping  forward. 
"  That  woman  was  my  cousin,  Dolores." 

Xuarez  started,  and  spoke  rapidly  to  one  of  his  officers, 
who  thereupon  left  the  room. 

"Ah!  you  know  much,  Senor,"  he  resumed,  scornfully; 
"  but  you  are  wrong;  the  zambo  was  my  spy — 

"Carambo!" 

"I  repeat  he  was  my  spy  in  Tlatonac/'  said  Xuarez, 
coolly;  "and  he  left  the  city  with  a  plan  of  your  fortifica- 
tions." 

"  For  todos  Santos,"  roared  Garibay,  fiercely,  clapping 
his  hand  on  his  sword. 

"  Call  on  whom  you  like,  Senor  Commandants! "  I  have 
no  reason  to  hide  this  from  you  or  from  the  Junta,  else 
would  I  have  kept  silent.  I  know  when  to  hold  my  tongue, 
Senores;  I  know  when  to  speak!  I  speak  now.  Go  back 
and  tell  your  President  that  I  have  a  full  plan  of  Tlatonac 
in  my  possession,  and  that  I  will  use  it  to  take  your  city, 
and  level  its  walls  to  the  ground." 

"If  you  can  do  so,"  said  Garibay,  tauntingly. 

"If  I  can  do  so,  as  you  say,"  replied  Xuarez,  suddenly 
recognizing  that  this  controversy  was  unworthy  of  his 
rank.  "We  need  say  no  more  on  that  subject.  Ha!"  he 
added,  as  the  officers,  with  a  man  and  woman,  entered  the 
hall,  "here  is  Pepe;  and  here,  Senores,  is  the  woman  he 
carried  off." 

The  woman  threw  back  her  rebozo. 

"Marina!"  cried  Jack,  in  despair. 

"You  see,  Senores,"  said  Don  Hypolito,  serenely,  "I 
am  not  the  base  one  you  think  me  to  be." 


DON"   HTPOLITO   XUAEEZ.  181 

"Fin  not  so  sure  of  that/'  muttered  Tim,  under  hia 
breath. 

"But  this,  Senores,  is  outside  the  question.  You  came 
to  me  with  a  message  from  the  Junta.  I  have  answered 
that  message.  Go!  Go,  and  carry  back  to  Tlatonac  my 
defiance  and  that  of  Acauhtzin.  Sail  away  under  your 
opal  flag,  caballeros,  and  I  promise  you  my  guns  will  respect 
your  vessel.  Adios.  Go!" 

He  pointed  imperiously  down  the  hall  to  where  the 
great  doors  stood  wide  open,  and,  headed  by  Don  Alonzo, 
the  deputation  retired.  Rafael  was  biting  his  lips  with 
rage,  and  Garibay  was  swearing  under  his  breath.  The 
exit  was  scarcely  dignified  or  worthy  of  the  greatness  of 
the  Republic. 

"I  never  felt  so  mean  in  my  life,"  whispered  Philip  to 
Tim.  "  What  a  beast  the  man  is! " 

"  And  you  said  he  was  a  great  man!" 

"  So  he  is.  But  even  great  men  are  human.  Xuarez  is 
not  perfect;  but  I  believe  he  is  honorable  as  regards  rules 
of  warfare.  We  can  leave  the  harbor  in  safety." 

"I  doubt  that,  my  boy,"  said  Tim,  significantly;  "the 
man's  a  liar! " 

"What! "said  Jack,  overhearing  this;  "do  you  think 
that  Dolores— ?" 

"  I  think  that  he  knows  where  she  is." 

"  Then  I'll  stay  here  till  he  gives  her  up." 

"You'll  stay  here  a  long  time,  then.  She  is  not  in 
Acauhtzin." 

"  Then  where  is  she?  " 

"  It's  more  nor  I  know." 

They  were  marching  down  the  street  on  their  way  to  the 
sea-gate,  surrounded  by  their  own  soldiers  and  a  troop  of 
the  Regimiento  de  Huitzilopochtli.  Around  this  living 
barrier  raged  the  populace,  who  had  heard  of  the  message 
sent  by  the  Republic  demanding  the  surrender  of  Xuarez, 
and  were  mad  with  anger.  To  give  up  the  idol  of  their 
hearts — the  man  on  whom  the  glorious  future  of  Acauht- 
zin depended!  It  was  an  insult!  If  they  could  have  got 
at  the  emissaries,  they  would  have  torn  them  to  pieces; 
but,  fortunately,  the  line  of  soldiers  prevented  this.  Don 
Alonzo  was  pale  with  terror;  but  Rafael  and  Garibay  swore 
loudly  at  the  rebel  crowd.  The  three  Englishmen  smiled 
12 


182  THE  HARLEQUIN"  OPAL. 

scornfully  and  marched  serenely  along,  not  heeding  the 
savage  howling  of  the  mob,  which  recognized  them  as 
foreigners. 

"  Abajo  los  Americanos!     Mueram  los  Yankies! " 

"  We  would  have  rather  a  hard  time  out  there,"  said 
Philip,  as  Tim,  his  huge  frame  shaking  with  anger,  ranged 
alongside  of  him.  "  Keep  together,  boys.  Where's  Jack  ?  " 

"  Behind,  with  Don  Rafael.  Don't  trouble,  Philip; 
Jack  Duval  has  his  six-shooter  on  him." 

"  Good!  I  hope  I  am  not  a  coward,"  said  the  baronet, 
serenely,  as  a  clod  of  earth  hit  him  on  the  shoulder;  "  but 
I  will  be  glad  when  we  are  safe  on  board  The  Bohemian." 

"  So  will  I.  This  is  like  Donnybrook  Fair.  But  we're 
nearly  outside  the  town.  Glory  be  to  the  saints! " 

As  they  approached  the  gate  the  fury  of  the  mob 
increased,  and  it  took  all  the  strength  of  the  soldiers, 
tramping  shoulder  to  shoulder,  to  prevent  them  breaking 
through  and  falling  on  the  emissaries  of  the  Junta.  At 
the  gate,  however,  a  soldier  stumbled  and  fell,  whereon, 
through  the  gap  thus  formed,  a  torrent  of  men  rushed, 
shouting  wildly.  The  escort  fought  bravely,  and  the  rebel 
soldiers  did  their  best  to  save  the  embassadors.  It  would 
be  a  disgrace  to  Acauhtzin  to  let  the  mob  have  their  will. 

Inch  by  inch  they  fought  their  way  down  to  the  sea- 
shore, surrounded  by  the  howling  multitude.  Philip 
knocked  down  a  man  who  tried  to  snatch  his  watch-chain, 
and  Tim,  head  and  shoulders  above  the  torrent  of 
humanity,  whacked  every  head  he  saw  heartily  with  his 
heavy  stick.  "When  you  see  a  head  hit  it."  That  was 
Tim's  rule  of  warfare.  He  picked  it  up  at  Donnybrook 
Fair,  and  applied  it  practically  in  his  present  predica- 
ment. 

At  the  water's  edge  they  were  hurried  into  several  boats, 
and  amid  a  shower  of  stones  and  mud  managed  to  get  on 
board  the  yacht.  As  soon  as  all  were  on  deck,  Benker, 
without  waiting  for  instructions,  started  the  boat.  Philip 
stood  at  the  side  of  the  ship  and  shook  his  fist  at  the 
shore. 

"You  scoundrels!"  he  raged,  fiercely.  "You  dishonor- 
able wretches ! " 

"And  Xuarez  is  a  great  man,"  scoffed  Tim,  wiping  the 
blood  from  his  face. 


DON   HYPOLITO    XUAREZ.  183 

"Well,"  retorted  Philip,  viciously,  "he's  not  respon- 
sible for  this  mob." 

"When  we  return/'  swore  Rafael,  who  stood  near  him, 
"we  will  level  those  walls  with  the  sand." 

By  this  time  the  yacht  had  passed  out  of  the  harbor,  and 
was  steaming  between  the  two  war-ships.  Don  Alonzo 
began  to  recover  his  courage. 

"  Thanks  to  the  Holy  Virgin,  we  are  all  safe,  Senores,"  he 
said,  in  a  trembling  voice.  "  The  Junta  will  bitterlj 
resent  this  insult  shown  to  the  lutendante  of  Xicotencatl. 

Philip  looked  around  with  an  alarmed  expression  of 
countenance. 

"Where's  Jack?" 

"Jack!"  cried  Tim,  in  a  stentorian  voice. 

There  was  no  answer. 

"Senior  Juan  was  with  me,"  said  Rafael,  quickly;  "but 
I  lost  him  from  my  side  outside  the  gate." 

"He  must  be  down  below,"  said  Philip,  greatly  dis- 
turbed, and  went  off  to  the  cabin.  In  a  few  moments  he 
reappeared. 

"  lie  is  not  there.     My  God!  can  he  be  lost?" 

The  yacht  was  searched  thoroughly,  but  no  trace  of  Jack 
Duval  could  be  found.  Philip  wanted  to  put  back  and 
rescue  his  friend,  who  had  evidently  been  left  ashore. 

"Impossible,  Senor!"  cried  Don  Alonzo,  in  alarm;  "it 
is  dangerous." 

"  I  do  not  care.  Do  you  think  I  am  going  to  leave  my 
dear  friend  to  be  torn  to  pieces  by  these  savages?"  raged 
Philip,  stamping  his  foot. 

"  The  soldiers  will  protect  him,"  said  Garibay,  who  was 
terribly  upset  at  the  discovery  of  their  loss.  He  was  very 
fond  of  Jack. 

"  Did  they  protect  us?"  said  Tim,  who  was  quite  beside 
himself  with  grief  and  rage.  "  Turn  her  head  back, 
Philip." 

Don  Rafael,  Tim,  and  the  baronet  were  all  in  favor  of 
doing  this,  but  Don  Alonzo  and  Garibay  said  it  would  be 
madness.  By  this  time  they  were  beyond  the  range  of  the 
ron  guns,  and  in  safety;  but  notwithstanding  the  remon- 
strances of  the  terrified  Intendante,  Philip  altered  the 
course  of  the  boat  and  started  back  to  the  harbor. 

"  I  will  save  Jack,  if  I  die  for  it,"  he  said,  fiercely. 


184  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

Just  as  The  Bohemian  approached  the  war-ships  a  puff 
of  smoke  burst  from  the  sides  of  both,  and  two  balls 
ricochetted  across  the  waves. 

"Not  blank  cartridge  this  time,"  muttered  Tim,  grimly. 
"  The  dirty  cowards,  to  fire  on  an  unarmed  boat.  And  the 
forts!" 

One!  two!  three!  four!  A  perfect  cannonade  thundered 
from  the  forts,  and  one  of  the  spars  of  the  boat  was  carried 
away.  The  war-ships  repeated  their  fire,  and,  against  his 
will,  Philip  was  forced  to  stop  the  engines.  It  was  no  use 
running  into  a  hornet's  nest.  Another  quarter  of  a  mile, 
nay  less,  and  The  Bohemian  would  be  smashed  to  pieces. 
The  engines  were  reversed,  and  Philip  shook  his  fist  wildly 
at  the  town. 

"First  Dolores!  then  Jack!    Oh,  cursed,  cursed  town!" 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

EIVALS. 

I  this  side!    You  that  side!    A  woman  between  us. 

You  love  her!    I  love  her!    Each  fain  would  caress  her. 
By  Paul!  I  will  never  surrender  this  Venus, 

For  I  in  my  arms  would  forever  po-sess  her. 

You  say  that  she  loves  you.     A  lie!  for  she  told  me 
Her  heart  had  no  cariug  for  love  or  for  lover. 

Let  her  but  a  moment  behold  you!  behold  me! 
And  he  whom  she  chooses  we'll  quickly  discover. 

Well,  say — we'll  suppose  it — to  you  she  is  tender, 
And  goes  with  you  thither,  while  I  remain  lonely. 

Think  you  that  Ihis  woman  I  thus  would  surrender? 
Nay!  she  shall  remain  with  me,  mine  to  be  only. 

Why,  you  are  my  captive!    But  though  I  can  slay  you, 
Give  over  this  folly — you'll  find  me  a  true  man! 

Nay  more,  you  are  free,  honored,  wealthy.     What  say  you? 
What,  madman,  refuse  you!    Then  lose  life  and  woman. 

Jack  recovered  his  senses  in  complete  darkness.  He  put 
his  hand  to  his  head  and  heard  the  clank  of  a  fetter,  felt 
the  cold  iron  clasp  his  wrist.  He  moved  his  legs;  more 
chains,  and  the  unexpected  discovery  that  he  was  lying  on 
straw.  Not  a  ray  of  light  anywhere  to  be  seen.  On  all 
sides  darkness,  the  darkness  of  Egypt.  Rolling  heavily  to 
one  side  with  a  groan  of  pain  forced  from  him  by  his  ach- 
ing head,  he  felt  the  cold  chill  of  a  stone  floor.  Straw, 
chains,  stones,  darkness!  What  did  it  all  mean?  He  tried 
to  think,  but  his  head  was  confused,  stunned  as  with  a 
blow.  It  was  a  blow;  for  at  the  back  of  his  cranium  he 
felt  a  wound,  his  fingers  were  moist  with  his  own  blood. 

Slowly,  slowly  his  scattered  senses  came  back  to 
him,  and  he  strove  to  recall  all  that  had  taken  place 
since  he  had  left  the  Palacio  Nacional.  Yes!  he  had 
gone  down  the  street  with  the  rest  of  his  friends. 
Rafael  had  walked  by  his  side,  Philip  and  Tim  had 
marched  on  in  front.  Then  the  howling  mob  on  all 

(185) 


186  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

sides  dashing  itself  against  the  lines  of  soldiers.  A  dra- 
goon had  fallen  by  the  sea-gate  just  as  they  were  on  the 
verge  of  safety — the  mob  rushed  in  through  the  gap;  then 
he  remembered  fighting  desperately — a  blow  on  the  head, 
a  cowardly  blow  delivered  from  behind,  and  he  remem- 
bered no  more.  Eemembrance  ceased  with  that  blow;  it 
revived  again  here  in  darkness,  with  him  lying  on  a  straw 
bed,  chained  like  a  prisoner.  A  prisoner!  Jack  saw  his 
position  in  a  moment — he  was  in  prison,  at  the  mercy  of 
his  rival,  of  the  lover  of  Dolores,  of  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez, 
rebel  and  traitor. 

"  Great  heaven! "  moaned  Jack,  as  the  horrors  of  his  sit- 
uation slowly  dawned  on  his  confused  brain,  "  this  must  all 
have  been  designed  by  that  scoundrel  Xuarez.  His  prom- 
ises that  we  should  go  unscathed  were  all  lies.  Philip! 
Tim!  Poor  Rafael!  Where  are  they  now?  Perhaps  in  this 
accursed  prison." 

It  was  so  dark  that  he  was  afraid  to  move  lest  he  should 
fall  into  danger.  At  length  he  put  out  his  hand  cautiously, 
and,  kneeling  forward,  felt  all  round  his  bed.  The  straw 
was  simply  thrown  on  the  floor  in  a  heap,  and  on  three 
sides  he  found  nothing  but  the  pavement,  on  the  fourth 
the  massive  stones  of  the  wall.  Unexpectedly  his  hand 
touched  a  crock  of  water,  and  drawing  this  toward  him,  he 
found  it  full,  much  to  his  delight,  as,  owing  to  his  wound, 
he  was  consumed  with  a  burning  thirst.  After  taking  a 
good  draught,  he  sat  back  on  his  straw  to  think  of  what  he 
should  do  next. 

Jack  was  always  cool  in  time  of  danger.  The  obstacles 
which  would  have  appalled  other  men  only  sharpened  his 
wits,  and,  as  his  brain  was  now  clearer,  he  set  himself  to 
work  to  think  over  the  situation.  Before  doing  this,  how- 
ever, he  soaked  his  handkerchief  in  the  little  water  remain- 
ing at  the  bottom  of  the  crock,  and  bound  it  round  his 
head.  The  cool  cloth  somewhat  assuaged  the  throbbing  of 
his  wound  and  thus  quieted  his  heated  brain. 

On  leaving  Tlatonac,  Jack  and  his  friends  had  doffed 
their  fine  uniforms,  as  likely  to  compromise  them  in  tbft 
eyes  of  Xuarez,  and  reassumed  their  European  garb.  He 
was  therefore  dressed  in  a  Norfolk  jacket,  with  trousers  of 
•"<mgh  blue  serge,  these  latter  being  tucked  into  high 
^iding-boots  of  untanned  leather.  The  pith  helmet  he  had 


KIVALS.  187 

worn  had  evidently  been  knocked  off  in  the  struggle  at  the 
sea-gate,  as  his  head  was  bare;  but,  on  feeling  his  pockets, 
he  found  everything  else  was  safe.  Money,  knife,  keys — 
they  were  all  there;  but  his  revolver  was  gone,  a  loss  which 
he  much  regretted. 

The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  remove  his  fetters,  which 
he  managed  with  some  difficulty  and  the  assistance  of  his 
knife.  Luckily  they  were  only  of  light  steel,  and  had  evi- 
dently been  put  on  more  through  the  malignity  of  Xuarez 
than  because  they  prevented  his  escape.  Indeed,  it  was  a 
useless  precaution,  for,  even  now  that  they  were  removed, 
he  knew  not  where  he  was  and  in  which  direction  to  turn 
for  egress.  With  his  knife  he  managed  to  bend  back  the 
links  of  one  chain  so  that  it  parted,  leaving  the  steel  ring 
still  on  his  wrist;  but,  with  considerable  pain  to  his  hand, 
he  managed  to  slip  it  through  the  other.  As  regards  the 
rings  round  his  ankles,  Jack  was  unusually  powerful,  and 
in  spite  of  his  wound,  with  the  strength  of  despair,  managed 
to  wrench  the  locks  of  the  chains  asunder.  The  steel  chains 
were  old  and  badly  made,  else  he  Avould  not  have  freed  him- 
self so  easily;  but  as  it  was,  after  half  an  hour's  hard  work 
he  managed  to  get  rid  of  the  chains,  and  stood  up  with  no 
manacles  on  him  save  the  steel  ring  on  his  left  wrist,  with 
a  few  links  dangling  therefrom. 

Free  so  far,  he  next  placed  his  head  against  the  rough, 
damp  stones  of  the  wall  and  cautiously  moved  round  his 
cell.  A  few  steps  from  his  bed  brought  him  against  another 
wall,  at  right  angles  to  the  former.  Following  this,  he 
soon  arrived  at  the  other  side  of  the  prison,  and  felt  his 
way  along  the  opposite  wall.  Toward  the  end  of  this  he 
stumbled  over  a  flight  of  squat  stone  steps  projecting  into 
the  prison,  and  by  careful  touching  managed  to  ascertain 
that  these  led  up  to  a  low  door  of  wood,  clasped  with  iron. 
Beyond,  a  short  space,  and  another  wall,  at  right  angles, 
and  so  back  to  his  straw  bed,  on  which  he  resumed  his 
seat. 

"  Fifteen  by  twenty,"  muttered  Jack,  taking  another 
drink  of  water,  "and  steps  leading  down  from  the  door. 
Damp  walls,  too.  I  guess  this  cage  is  in  the  basement  of 
one  of  the  forts,  or  below  the  Palacio  Nacional.  That 
cursed  Xuarez!  One  of  his  men  stunned  me  in  that  fight 
with  a  foul  blow,  and  they  then  clapped  me  in  here.  I 


188  THE   HABLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

wonder  what  he  intends  to  do  with  me.  He  knows  I  love 
Dolores,  and  am  his  rival;  so  I  expect  he'll  make  things 
pretty  hot  for  me  if  he  can.  Well,  at  all  events,  my  life  is 
safe,  for  what  with  Philip  and  Tim  to  stand  by  me,  he  dare 
not  kill  me." 

Then  a  sudden  dread  entered  his  mind  regarding  Philip 
and  the  war  correspondent. 

"If  they  should  be  killed  in  that  row,  or  clapped  in 
prison  also!  No,  I  don't  believe  that.  Putting  Philip 
out  of  the  question,  Xuarez  is  too  cunning  to  hurt  a  war 
correspondent  of  a  great  English  paper.  He  wants  to 
stand  well  with  the  world  in  this  struggle,  and  would  not 
dare  to  risk  the  outcry  of  anything  happening  to  Tim.  I 
expect  they  all  got  back  safely  to  the  yacht.  Xuarez 
could  afford  to  let  them  go  with  his  defiance  to  Tlatonac. 
He  only  wanted  me  because  I  am  his  rival  in  the  affections 
of  Dolores.  The  question  is,  has  he  got  her  in  his  power 
also?  He  says  'No/  but  the  man's  a  liar,  whom  it  is 
impossible  to  believe.  Hang  this  wound  !" 

It  was  burning  with  heat,  and  taking  off  the  bandage, 
he  dipped  it  into  the  dregs  of  water  remaining.  Then  he 
bound  it  over  the  wound  again,  and  took  out  his  watch, 
which  luckily  had  not  been  stolen,  as  it  was  safely  stowed 
inside  his  Norfolk  jacket.  With  his  fingers  he  delicately 
felt  the  hands. 

"Six  o'clock!"  he  said,  somewhat  startled;  '"'and  we 
left  the  palace  at  three.  I've  been  three  hours  in  this 
cursed  hole.  It  must  still  be  light,  or  rather  twilight;  so, 
as  it  is  here  as  dark  as  pitch,  this  cell  must  be  built  far 
down.  Hang  them!  do  they  intend  to  starve  me?" 

He  felt  vainly  for  the  traditional  loaf  of  bread  which 
always  accompanies  prisoners,  the  pitcher  of  water,  but,  to 
his  dismay,  could  find  none.  This  pointed  to  one  of  two 
things — either  Xuarez  intended  to  starve  him  to  death 
or  would  visit  him  shortly  with  a  meal.  He  would  not 
dare  to  do  the  former,  as  Jack,  feeling  sure  his  friends  had 
escaped,  knew  the  outcry  of  these  against  the  rebel  leader 
would  be  great  did  he  carry  his  hatred  so  far;  and  as  to 
the  latter,  the  young  man  hopefully  waited,  in  the  hope 
that  his  jailer  would  soon  arrive. 

"He  won't  come  himself,  I  suppose,"  said  Jack,  throw- 
ing himself  down  on  the  straw;  "some  soldiers  will  come 


RIVALS.  189 

and  escort  me  to  the  upper  world.  Hang  it!  if  the  mail 
isn't  a  thorough  blackguard,  he'll  let  me  have  a  meal  and 
a  doctor.  My  head  is  aching  like  to  split.  Even  a  candle 
would  be  acceptable  in  this  infernal  gloom." 

Clearly  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  wait  till  some  one 
entered  the  cell.  Jack  was  too  wise  to  waste  his  time  in 
kicking  at  the  door,  or  exhaust  his  strength  in  shouting 
for  help.  He  was  in  the  power  of  Xuarez,  and  it  depended 
on  future  events  as  to  how  matters  would  turn  out.  Of 
one  thing  Jack  felt  confident,  and  that  was  that  even  if 
Philip  and  the  others  reached  the  yacht  in  safety  they 
could  do  nothing. 

"I  guess  Xuarez  brought  the  guns  to  bear  on  TJie 
Bohemian  and  ordered  Philip  to  clear  out.  He  could  do 
nothing  against  that  order,  so  I  expect  the  boat  is  by  this 
time  on  her  way  back  to  Tlatonac  with  the  news  of  my 
capture  or  death.  Fll  have  to  Avait  here  until  the  Junta 
captures  the  town,  and  Lord  only  knows  when  that  will 
be.  I  wouldn't  mind  so  much  if  I  only  knew  of  the  where- 
abouts of  Dolores." 

Thus  talking  to  himself,  in  order  to  keep  up  his  spirits, 
this  unfortunate  young  man  sat  for  some  considerable 
time,  waiting  with  philosophic  resignation  the  turn  of 
events.  By  means  of  his  watch,  he  calculated  that  it  was 
close  on  eight  o'clock  before  he  was  disturbed.  Then  he 
heard  the  sound  of  a  bolt  slipping  out  of  its  socket,  the 
door  of  his  cell  opened,  and  a  man  appeared — a  man 
draped  in  a  long  black  cloak,  flung  Spanish  fashion  over 
his  left  shoulder,  and  wearing  a  broad-leaved  sombrero 
which  effectually  concealed  his  features.  He  carried  a 
lantern  which  illuminated  the  cell  with  a  sufficiently  feeble 
light,  but  it  was  comforting  to  Jack,  after  the  intense 
darkness  of  the  previous  hours,  and  enabled  him  to  see 
whom  was  his  visitor. 

The  stranger  closed  the  door  of  the  cell,  descended  the 
steps,  and  advanced  toward  Jack,  swinging  the  lantern  to 
and  fro  so  as  to  flash  the  light  into  every  corner  of  the  small 
room.  That  squat  figure,  that  ungraceful  walk;  Jack  rec- 
ognized him  at  once.  Notwithstanding  the  sombrero,  the 
long  cloak,  the  silence  observed  by  the  man,  his  prisoner 
at  once  saluted  him  by  name. 

"  So  this  is  how  you  keep  your  prisoners,  Don  Hypolito 
Xuarez?" 


190  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

Xuarez  started  at  being  thus  recognized  so  speedily,  but 
restraining  his  speech,  flashed  the  lantern  up  and  down 
Jack's  tall  figure  as  he  leaned  against  the  wall,  and  started 
again. 

"  Carambo!     You  are  free!     The  chains — " 

"  Are  there,  Sefior! " 

The  rebel  leader  looked  first  at  the  broken  chains,  after- 
ward at  Jack,  and  seemed  to  regard  his  prisoner  as  a  kind 
of  Samson.  He  had  a  profound  respect  for  physical 
strength,  for  physical  beauty;  and  the  splendid  frame  of 
the  young  Englishman,  in  conjunction  with  this  evidence 
of  his  muscles,  inspired  Don  Hypolito  with  great  admira- 
tion. 

"  Bueno,  Senor  Duval! "  he  said,  in  the  frank  tone  of  a 
man  who  cherishes  no  animosity,  "  you  are  a  difficult  per- 
son to  deal  with.  You  have  broken  your  chains!  Had  I 
not  arrived  thus  opportunely,  you  might  by  this  time  have 
broken  out  of  prison. " 

"  It's  not  impossible,  Senor,"  replied  Jack,  coolly.  "  You 
may  be  certain  I  would  not  have  sat  down  much  longer 
doing  nothing.  But  now — 

"  You  are  thinking  of  making  use  of  my  presence  here 
to  facilitate  your  escape.  Is  it  not  so,  mi  amigo?  If  you 
are  Avise  do  not  try.  You  may  knock  me  down;  I  am  but 
a  dwarf  beside  you!  You  may  steal  these  keys,  this  lan- 
tern; but  you  know  not  the  palace,  you  know  not  the 
guards,  and  above  all,  even  if  you  did  get  free,  you  could 
not  escape  from  Acauhtzin.  No,  mi  amigo!  Here  you 
are!  here  you  stay,  unless  you  agree  to  my  conditions." 

"Conditions!"  echoed  Jack,  scornfully,  "I  think  I 
can  guess  what  those  conditions  are,  Senor  Xuarez." 

"  Bueno!  Then  I  can  save  my  breath,"  replied  Don 
Hypolito,  setting  down  the  lantern.  "  If  you  know  the 
conditions  of  your  release,  you  also  know  whether  to  accept 
them  or  not.  Speak  plainly,  mi  amigo! " 

"Don  Hypolito,"  observed  Jack,  not  answering  this 
question  directly,  "I  do  not  know  whether  to  regard  you 
as  a  knave  or  a  fool.  You  must  be  the  former,  else  you 
had  not  betrayed  me  and  my  friends.  You  are  the  latter, 
or  you  would  not  ask  me  to  agree  to  certain  conditions 
which  you  know  are  quite  impossible — with  me." 

"  You  have  the  great  merit,  Senor  Duval,  of  candor.     I 


RIVALS.  191 

admire  it  as  a  virtue,  but  it  can  be  carried  too  far.  I  do 
not  like  being  called  knave  or  fool,  as  I  deserve  neither 
name." 

'•'Is  that  so?  Good!  I  say  you  are  both!  However,  I 
am  open  to  argument;  so  let  me  hear  your  side  of  the 
question." 

Don  Hypolito  laughed  quietly,  and  eyed  his  rival  with 
increased  respect. 

"  I  wish  you  were  on  my  side,  Don  Juan.  A  man  such 
as  you  would  be  invaluable  to  me." 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  good  opinion,  Sefior;  but  I  am 
not  on  your  side,  neither  am  I  likely  to  be.  I  support  the 
established  Government  of  Cholocaca," 

"You  are  a — but  no,"  said  Xuarez,  checking  himself 
with  a  sardonic  smile,  ' '  we  have  no  time  to  discuss  politics. 
All  are  against  me  now,  but  when  I  am  seated  in  the  Presi- 
dential chair,  the  world  will  be  in  my  favor.  To-day, 
Sefior,  I  am  an  adventurer;  to-morrow  I  will  be  a  con- 
queror. Success  is  everything  in  the  eyes  of  the  world. 
However,  we  need  not  talk  of  these  things  which  do  not 
interest  you.  I  notice  you  have  not  yet  asked  after  your 
friends." 

"Why  should  I,  Don  Hypolito?"  replied  Jack,  deter- 
mined to  show  no  signs  of  anxiety  in  the  presence  of  this 
man.  "I  know  that  my  friends  are  safe,  and  are  at 
present  on  their  way  to  Tlatonac." 

"It  is  true;  but  how  did  you  guess  this  much,  Don 
Juan?" 

"From  what  I  know  of  your  character." 

"  Pardon  me,  Senor,  no  one  knows  my  character,"  said 
Xuarez,  quietly. 

"  Not  your  real  character,  perhaps,  but  the  character  by 
which  you  choose  to  be  known  to  the  world." 

The  nonchalance  of  the  young  Englishman  somewhat 
puzzled  Xuarez.  Here  was  a  man  talking  quietly  with  one 
whom  he  had  every  reason  to  hate  and  dread.  Wounded  as 
he  was,  incarcerated  in  a  gloomy  cell,  in  doubt  as  to  the 
safety  of  his  friends,  the  whereabouts  of  his  sweetheart, 
Jack  had  yet  sufficient  pluck  to  conceal  his  real  feelings 
and  play  a  part  which  entirely  deceived  even  so  acute  an 
observer  of  human  nature  as  Don  Hypolito.  He  saw  that 
Jack  was  purposely  holding  himself  back  instead  of  giving 


192  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

way  to  his  righteous  indignation;  but,  while  admiring  the 
self-restraint  of  the  young  man,  he  was  doubtful  as  to  the 
meaning  of  such  diplomatic  conduct. 

Experience  had  taught  Don  Hypolito  that  the  only  way 
to  fathom  the  feelings  of  others  was  to  make  them  talk 
freely,  listen  attentively,  and  draw  conclusions  from  chance 
observations.  This  method  he  now  applied  to  Jack,  and 
asked  him  to  proceed,  in  a  grave  tone  of  voice,  all  the  time 
keeping  his  ears  open  to  find  out  the  underlying  meaning 
of  this  impassive  demeanor.  He  discovered  nothing, 
because  there  was  nothing  to  discover.  Jack  spoke  truth- 
fully and  bluntly,  giving  voice  to  his  real  feelings,  and 
Xuarez,  accustomed  to  double  dealing,  to  double  meaning, 
was  for  once  in  his  life  utterly  at  fault. 

"You  have  started  this  war,  Seiior,"  said  Jack,  with 
painful  candor,  "  entirely  for  your  own  ends.  The  excuse 
you  make  is  that  Gomez  has  broken  the  constitution  of 
Cholacaca.  This  is  false,  as  you  know  well.  However,  it 
is  a  good  excuse  upon  which  to  work  out  your  aims.  In 
this  war  you  wish  the  civilized  world  to  be  on  your  side; 
to  look  upon  you  as  a  great  man,  fitted  to  be  the  savior  of 
Cholcaca  from  a  tyrannical  Government.  To  this  end  you 
dare  not  act  violently  toward  any  representative  nation  of 
the  civilized  world.  England  is  a  representative  nation, 
and  you  to-day  saluted  her  flag.  You  respected  the  embas- 
sadors  from  the  Junta  because  they  were  accompanied  by 
Englishmen,  because  they  came  here  on  an  English  ship. 
One  of  those  men  whom  you  thus  respected  is  the  war  cor- 
respondent of  a  London  paper,  and  you  wished  him  to 
write  home  to  his  journal  narrating  the  courtesy  of  Don 
Hypolito  Xuarez,  and  thus  interesting  our  nation's  feelings 
in  your  favor.  The  attack  made  by  the  mob  was,  I  firmly 
believe,  made  without  your  sanction.  You  wished  the 
embassy  to  depart  in  safety,  and  they  so  departed.  One 
man,  however,  you  desired  to  detain  because  he  was  your 
rival  in  the  affections  of  a  woman.  That  man  is  myself! 
So  you  made  use  of  the  riot  to  have  me  knocked  down  in 
the  fight  and  taken  here  to  prison.  Now  that  you  think  I 
am  worn  out  with  wounds,  thirst,  and  imprisonment,  you 
come  to  offer  me  my  liberty  on  two  conditions.  First,  that 
I  surrender  all  right  to  the  hand  of  Dona  Dolores.  Second, 
that  I  leave  Cholacaca  forever.  These,  Senor  Xuarez,  are 


RIVALS.  193 

your  motives  in  acting  as  you  have  done,  dictated,  as  I 
said  before,  not,  perhaps,  by  your  real  character,  but 
by  the  noble  character  in  which  you  wish  to  appear  to  the 
world.'' 

Don  Hypolito  listened  to  this  long  speech  with  rapt 
attention,  and  could  not  help  admiring  the  way  in  which 
the  young  man  had  fathomed  his  motives.  When  Jack 
ended,  he  raised  his  head  and  proceeded  to  lie — uselessly, 
as  it  afterward  proved;  still,  he  lied. 

"  In  a  great  measure  what  you  say  is  correct,  Don  Juan. 
I  do  wish  to  stand  well  with  the  nations  of  Europe,  because 
I  believe  my  cause  to  be  a  just  one.  Gomez  was  elected 
President  by  the  aristocrats,  not  by  the  people.  I  believe 
in  democracy.  He  governs  so  as  to  throw  the  whole  power 
of  the  state  into  the  hands  of  those  who  would  take  away 
the  liberties  of  the  people  won  so  gloriously  by  Zuloaga. 
You  say  I  have  begun  this  war  from  a  personal  ambition. 
That  may  be  so.  I  wish  to  be  Dictator,  Supreme  Dictator 
of  the  Republic,  and  to  raise  her  to  her  rightful  position 
as  a  power  in  the  world.  These,  Seiior,  are  political  and 
personal  questions.  They  need  not  be  discussed.  What 
you  say  about  the  embassy  is  true.  Had  the  boat  of  Senor 
Felipe  entered  the  harbor  under  the  opal  flag,  I  would 
have  ordered  the  fort  guns  to  sink  her  for  such  audacity. 
She  however  carried  the  English  ensign.  I  respected  that 
ensign;  I  received  the  deputation;  I  heard  the  insolent 
demand  of  the  Junta,  and  gave  my  answer.  They  were 
free  to  depart  without  hindrance  from  me.  The  outbreak 
of  the  mob  was  solely  due  to  the  message  sent.  I  did  not 
create  the  riot.  I  did  not  make  use  of  the  tumult  to  get 
you  into  my  power.  But  when  in  the  me!6e  you  were 
stunned,  my  soldiers  carried  you  off  to  the  Palacio 
Nacional.  I  saw  an  opportunity  of  gaining  my  ends  by 
thus  having  you  in  my  power,  and  so  put  you  in  this 
prison.  Now  I  come  to  make  my  terms.  Accept  them, 
and  you  are  free.  Refuse,  and  a  terrible  fate  will  befall 
you!" 

"To  remain  in  prison  here,  I  suppose?"  said  Jack, 
contemptuously. 

"  No;  worse!" 

"  What!  would  you  kill  me?" 

"  I  will  not  harm  a  hair  of  your  head.     What  your  fate 

13 


194  THE    HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

will  be,  I  refuse  to  tell  you;  but  if  you  are  a  wise  man  you 
will  accept  my  offer  of  freedom." 

"  And  accept  your  conditions  also — the  conditions  being 
those  I  have  stated?" 

"Precisely!  You  have  rare  penetration,  Don  Juan. 
My  conditions  are  as  you  have  guessed.  Give  up  Dona 
Dolores,  leave  Cholacaca,  and  you  are  free." 

'<  I  refuse." 

'•'Think  well,  Senor,"  said  Xuarez,  coldly.  "I  am  not 
a  man  to  threaten  in  vain.  Your  fate  will  be  a  terrible 
one." 

"  I  quite  believe  you  capable  of  any  enormity,  Don 
Hypolito,"  retorted  Jack,  with  a  curling  lip;  "  but  why 
waste  any  more  time  over  the  matter?  I  refuse!" 

"  On  what  grounds?  " 

"On  what  grounds?"  reiterated  Jack,  in  a  haughty 
tone.  "Simply  that  it  does  not  suit  my  convenience  to 
either  give  up  Dona  Dolores  or  to  leave  Cholacaca  at  your 
bidding." 

Xuarez  was  nettled  at  Jack's  elaborately  insulting 
manner;  but  he  did  not  lose  his  temper.  He  was  too 
clever  a  man  to  do  that.  "With  a  sudden  change  of  front, 
he  took  a  hint  from  card-players,  and  tried  to  force  Jack's 
hand. 

"  You  love  Doiia  Dolores?" 

"  That  is  not  a  question  for  you  to  ask." 

"  Pardon  me,  Sefior;  I  also  love  Dona  Dolores,  therefore 

I  am  interested  in  your  reply.  " 

"Are  you? "said  Jack,  facing  his  questioner  sharply; 

II  then  you  shall  have  it.     I  do  love  Dona  Dolores;  and, 
what  is  more,  she  returns  that  love.     One  person  only  will 
she  marry,  and  that  person  is  myself,  John  Duval!" 

"You  will  never  marry  her!"  exclaimed  Xuarez,  vehe- 
mently. "She  is  mine!  Mine!  Before  a  month  is  gone 
she  becomes  my  wife!" 

"  Ah! "  sneered  Jack,  with  a  world  of  meaning  in  his 
tone,  "I  knew  you  lied  when  you  said  she  was  not 
in  Acauhtzin." 

"Carrai!"  cried  Don  Hypolito,  who  was  beginning  to 
lose  his  temper;  "  I  did  not  lie.  She  is  not  in  Acauhtzin. 
She  is—" 

"Where?"  asked  Duval,  impetuously. 


RIVALS.  195 

"  In  a  place  you  will  never  discover,  Senor.  Not  that 
it  matters  much,  for  in  any  case  you  will  not  marry  her. 
No !  You  are  reserved  for  a  worse  fate,  a  fate  which  will 
bitterly  punish  you  for  daring  to  be  my  rival." 

"  I  am  not  a  child  to  be  frightened  of  big  words,"  said 
Jack,  scornfully,  though  his  heart  quailed  at  the  deadly 
menace  of  the  Mestizo's  tones.  "  My  friends  know  I  am 
in  Acauhtzin;  they  will  come  back  for  me." 

"They  have  already  tried  to  do  so,"  retorted  Xuarez, 
triumphantly.  "  When  they  left  the  harbor,  I  suppose 
they  discovered  you  were  left  behind.  The  boat  returned; 
but  a  few  shot  from  the  forts  and  the  war-ships  made  her 
retreat,  and  when  I  last  saw  her  she  was  steaming  full  speed 
for  Tlatonac." 

"Yes?  I  knew  as  much.  To  bring  back  an  army  to 
level  Acauhtzin  to  the  ground.  To  capture  you!  To 
rescue  me ! " 

"No  one  can  rescue  you,"  replied  Xuarez,  in  a  somber 
tone.  "  Your  only  chance  of  escape  is  to  give  up  Dona 
Dolores." 

"To  you!  to  you!"  cried  Jack,  fiercety.  "You,  who 
love  her  not  for  herself,  but  because  she  is  the  guardian  of 
the  opal  stone!  Ah,  yes,  Senor  Xuarez;  I  know  well 
what  you  design.  You  wish  to  marry  Dolores,  to  secure 
the  opal  stone,  to  gain  over  the  Indians  to  your  cause.  All 
ambition;  there  is  no  love.  I  tell  you,  Senor,  such  a  thing 
can  never  be.  Dolores  would  sooner  die  than  give  herself 
up  to  a  villain  like  yourself.  You  will  never  possess  Dolores; 
you  will  never  be  master  of  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac! 
Turn  your  ambition  to  other  things,  Don  Hypolito. 
Dolores  is  not  for  you!  " 

Don  Hypolito  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  cry  of  rage. 
Hitherto  he  had  restrained  himself  in  a  most  admirable 
manner;  but  now  the  insulting  speeches  of  his  prisoner 
proved  too  much  for  even  his  well-trained  temper.  A 
torrent  of  passion  swept  away  all  his  reserve,  and  he  burst 
out  into  a  furious  speech. 

"Dolores  is  for  me!  She  will  be  mine  in  another  week 
or  so.  She  is  the  guardian  of  the  opal,  and  that  also  will 
be  mine.  When  I  am  possessed  of  the  devil  stone,  the 
Indians  will  flock  round  my  standard,  I  have  the  fleet,  I 
have  an  army,  I  will  have  the  Indians  too,  my  allies, 


196  THE  HARLEQUIN"  OPAL. 

guided  by  the  devil  stone.  That  also  will  be  mine,  and 
Dolores  with  it.  I  will  become  Dictator  of  Cholacaca.  I 
will  raise  her  to  a  pinnacle  of  power.  She  will  rule  the 
South — nay,  the  North  also.  Mexico,  Venezuela,  Nica- 
ragua, Guatemala,  they  will  all  be  mine.  In  the  North, 
the  United  States;  in  the  South,  the  Empire  of  the  Opal, 
with  myself  as  ruler.  It  is  a  grand — " 

"Dream!"  interrupted  Jack,  faintly,  for  the  pain  of  his 
wound  was  telling  on  his  frame.  "It  is  a  dream!  a 
dream!" 

"It  is  no  dream;  or,  if  a  dream,  it  will  soon  turn  out 
a  reality.  And  you,  you  low-born  Englishman,  would 
dare  to  bar  my  way  to  this  fame !  Lie  there,  Senor,  and 
await  my  commands.  You  will  die,  and  by  a  death  which 
will  break  even  your  spirit.  You  will  die  and  be  forgotten, 
while  I,  Hypolito  Xuarez,  will  reconstruct  on  this  conti- 
nent the  Empire  of  Montezuma." 

He  spoke  to  deaf  ears,  for,  overcome  by  fatigue  and 
pain,  Duval  had  fainted.  Xuarez  bent  over  him,  and  held 
the  lantern  to  his  face.  It  was  deadly  pale,  and  the  eyes 
were  closed. 

"I  do  not  want  him  to  die,"  muttered  the  remorseless 
Mestizo,  going  toward  the  door.  "I  will  send  a  doctor  to 
look  after  his  wound.  He  will  be  made  whole  again,  but 
only  to  perish  in  tortures.  Not  for  you,  Don  Juan,  is 
Dolores;  not  for  you  the  opal,  but  death  and  dishonor. 
You  fall;  I  rise.  My  star  quenches  yours  in  its  burning 
splendor." 

In  another  moment  he  had  quitted  the  prison,  leaving 
his  rival  stretched  out  in  the  darkness,  to  all  appearances 
lifeless  and  lost. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

IN   SHADOWLAJO). 

Weary  body,  aching  brain, 
Tortured  mind,  and  heavy  soul, 
Fourfold  being,  one  existence! 
Life,  with  troublous  insistence, 
To  ye  brings  but  constant  dole, 
Ceaseless  weeping,  endless  pain; 
Yet  is  all  this  sorrow  vain, 
When  the  waves  of  slumber  roll 
Over  body,  over  soul. 
In  such  slumber  should  ye  list,  hence 
Flies  the  spirit  to  attain 
That  far  land  of  divams  and  stories, 
Misty  realms  of  airy  glories, 
Where  the  body  hath  no  being, 
Nor  the  eyes  an  earthly  seeing, 
And  the  mind  makes  no  resistance 
To  events  which  overleap 
Nature's  laws,  which  bind  existence, 
From  our  sphere  the  spirit  fleeing 
Dwells  but  in  the  realm  of  sleep. 

After  that  extraordinary  interview  with  Don  Hypolito 
iii  the  prison,  Jack  ceased  to  take  any  interest  in  earthly 
matters,  and  went  for  a  space  into  shadowland.  He  was 
not  dead,  but  delirious.  As  a  captive  balloon  is  anchored 
to  earth,  so  Jack's  soul  had  flown  into  the  realms  o.f 
dreams,  yet  was  held  to  his  body  by  a  small  amount  of 
life. 

Yet,  curiously  enough,  he  retained  a  dull  impression  of 
earthly  events.  All  things  actually  done  to  his  body 
colored  his  dreams  and  decided  his  visions.  As  the  fancies 
of  the  sleepers  are  determined  by  external  actions,  so  as 
through  a  veil  the  wounded  man  faintly  perceived  the 
every-day  life  going  on  around  his  inert  body.  Through 
the  chain  extending  from  body  to  soul,  wbich  held  the 
latter  captive  to  earth,  passed  the  thrills  hinting  at 
corporeal  existence,  and  these  dominating  his  spirituality 

13 


198  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

whirled  him  hither  and  thither,  according  as  they  hap- 
pened. We  in  health  feel  in  slumber  the  power  of  the 
unseen  world  guiding  our  every  action;  this  man,  in  sick- 
ness, dwelt,  spiritually  speaking,  in  the  world  of  shadows, 
whereof  we  have  no  knowledge,  and  therefrom  felt  rather 
than  saw  the  happening  of  earthly  events  which  colored 
his  ghostly  being. 

On  those  dreams,  those  visions  apocalyptical,  what 
agonies,  what  ecstasies,  what  feelings  did  they  not  beget? 
Now  of  earth,  now  of  heaven,  frequently  of  hell.  Years 
afterward,  Jack,  remembering  portions  of  these  fantasies, 
would  shudder  and  turn  pale  at  the  mere  thought  of  hav- 
ing endured  them.  Wild  as  the  visions  of  Ezekiel, 
gorgeous  as  the  Arabian  Nights,  hideous  as  De  Quincey's 
dreamings,  delicate  and  spiritual  as  the  songs  of  Ariel, 
those  chimeras,  at  once  terrible  and  fascinating,  racked  his 
spiritual  being  with  the  pangs  of  pleasure  and  pain.  As 
thus: 

.  .  .  Darkness!  the  infinite  darkness  of  chaos,  before  the 
light -creating  word  was  spoken  by  the  Deity.  Ages  and 
ages  and  ages  of  gloom,  of  horror,  of  thick  opacity.  No 
light,  no  glimmer  or  glow,  to  break  this  all-pervading 
blackness.  No  earth  beneath,  no  sky  above,  nothing  but 
clinging  gloom  on  all  sides.  So  chill,  so  freezing — surely 
hell  were  not  more  terrible.  .  .  . 

Ha!  a  burst  of  light  penetrating  the  gloom.  The  word 
is  spoken,  the  light  is  here.  .  .  .  Day  divides  itself  from 
night  .  .  .  from  the  womb  of  the  darkness  springs  the 
faint  radiance  of  dawn.  Then  the  sun,  the  glorious  sun, 
rises  like  a  god  to  conquer  the  foul  fiends  of  shadow.  See 
how  his  arrows  fly,  golden  and  swift,  from  his  never-empty 
bow  .  .  .  east,  west,  north,  south  .  .  .  and  the  glory  of 
light  spreads  over  all  creation.  ...  I  am  borne  along  on 
the  wings  of  a  mighty  wind  blown  from  the  gates  of  the 
dawn  .  .  .  faster  and  faster  and  faster.  ...  I  swim 
through  the  crystalline  air  ...  I  poise  myself  like  a  bird 
in  the  opaline  glories  of  a  whirling  sphere.  ...  In  the 
heart  of  the  rainbow  .  .  .  still  on  earth  .  .  .  but  air  and 
the  coruscation  of  infinite  colors — red  and  yellow,  and 
green  and  blue.  .  .  .  They  swirl  in  circles,  they  shoot  on 
all  sides  from  a  spot  of  brilliance  as  the  spokes  of  a  wheel. 
,  .  .  They  range  themselves  in  lines  of  ever-changing  hues 


IN"   SHADOWLAND.  199 

.  .  .  and  now  I  am  blown  resistlessly  onward  by  that 
mighty  wind.  .  .  . 

The  sea!  gloom  once  more!  I  can  see  nothing  but  dark- 
ness, yet  penetrated  by  faint  gleams  of  light.  .  .  .  The 
wash  of  many  waves  breaks  on  my  ears.  .  .  .  Overhead  a 
sky  veiled  in  clouds,  beneath  the  black  breast  of  ocean, 
heaving  restlessly  in  white  lines  of  foam.  ...  I  smell  the 
salt  brine  of  the  ocean.  .  .  .  The  keen  wind  lashes  my 
face  as  with  a  whip.  .  .  .  Ho!  yeo,  ho!  ...  the  sailors 
are  at  work.  .  .  .  Hark !  the  throb  of  a  heart.  Beat!  beat! 
beat!  beat!  It  is  the  beating  of  the  propeller-blades  now 
striking  the  water  ...  I  am  in  the  engine-room  .  .  . 
the  pistons  slide  silently  in  and  out  of  the  cylinders.  .  .  . 
Now  the  giant  cranks  rise  and  fall  with  monotonous  motion 
.  .  .  and  yon  gleaming  steel  shaft,  revolving  rapidly,  turns 
the  screw  in  the  dark  waters  without  .  .  .  the  hiss  of 
escaping  steam  .  .  .  the  whirling  of  wheels  .  .  .  the  sud- 
den burst  of  red  flame  from  the  furnace.  ...  I  am  carried 
across  the  ocean  .  .  .  whither? 

Earth!  at  last  the  land.  .  .  .  Mother  of  all  things,  I 
salute  thee  .  .  .  this  bleak  beach  on  which  dash  the 
waves  .  .  .  the  soft  odor  of  the  wind  sways  the  trees  on 
yonder  promontory.  ...  I  hear  the  measured  dip  of  oars 
.  .  .  the  grating  of  the  boat's  keel  on  the  stones.  .  .  .  Ha! 
I  am  in  the  hands  of  demons  .  .  .  their  eyes  glare  as  they 
lift  me  from  boat  to  litter.  .  .  .  The  curtains  are  dropped, 
and  I  feel  the  swing  and  sway  of  the  litter  being  carried  up 
steep  heights.  .  .  . 

This  is  a  primeval  forest  .  .  .  green  as  the  sea  .  .  . 
scarcely  so  restless  .  .  .  the  warm  wind  stirs  the  giant 
branches  .  .  .  what  crowded  hues  .  .  .  and  lo!  the  flash 
of  brilliant  flowers  .  .  .  the  odor  of  spices.  .  .  .  Brilliant 
birds  flit  from  branch  to  branch  like  flying  gems  ...  I 
hear  the  singing  of  choirs  invisible  .  .  .  the  birds!  .  .  . 
Yes,  birds  only.  .  .  .  Garlands  of  flowers  trail  from  the  trees 
.  .  .  beneath  their  shadow  the  grass  is  crowded  with  blos- 
soms .  ,  .  wherever  I  step  a  flower  springs  to  being  .  .  . 
those  pools  of  still  water  blue  as  turquoise  .  .  .  the  Indian 
conjurer!  ...  I  see  him  hiding  amid  the  frondage.  .  .  . 
Look!  .  .  .  the  saurian!  .  .  .  Oh,  the  frightful  mon- 
ster. .  .  .  Preadamite!  .  .  .  begotten  in  chaos  slime.  .  .  . 
Trees!  trees!  trees  without  end.  .  .  .  The  earth  is  one 
vast  forest,  and  I  alone  wander  therein.  .  .  . 


200  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

Snow  ...  a  vast  expanse  of  snow  .  .  .  for  miles  and 
leagues.  .  .  .  No!  it  is  salt  lying  in  thin  flakes  on  the  brown 
earth  .  .  .  the  surface  glitters  in  the  moonlight  as  if  it 
were  ice  ...  far  and  wide  whirl  thin  white  pillars  of  salt 
in  the  grip  of  the  wind.  .  .  .  Lot's  wife!  Ha,  ha!  Nay,  no 
woman  do  I  see,  but  salt  on  all  hands  .  .  .  like  snow  .  .  . 
and  moon-freezing  crystals.  .  .  . 

The  forest  again  .  .  .  more  trees  .  .  .  birds  .  .  .  odois. 
.  .  .  Hark!  a  song  .  .  .  'tis  the  dancing-girls  who  sing 
...  I  heard  them  call  ...  I  see  them  shake  their  anklets 
of  gold  .  .  .  the  cymbals  crash  .  .  .  the  trinkets  shine. 
Can  you  not  hear  the  roll  of  the  serpent-skin  drums?  .  .  . 

Oh,  this  interminable  avenue  of  stone  gods  ...  on 
either  side  the  faces  of  solemn  sphinxes.  ...  I  am  in 
Egypt  ...  I  go  up  to  offer  sacrifice  to  the  god  Thoth 
.  .  .  lines  of  sphinxes  .  .  .  statues  of  kings  with  their 
hands  placed  on  their  knees  .  .  .  then  this  great  flight  of 
steps  .  .  .  up,  and  up,  and  up.  .  .  .  Are  Ave  going  to 
heaven?  ...  I  Avill  bow  down  to  my  God.  .  .  .  Horror! 
Huitzilopochtli.  .  .  This  is  not  my  God  ...  I  sacrifice 
to  Thoth  ...  to  Isis.  .  .  .  Ah,  you  would  make  of  me 
the  victim.  .  .  .  Oh,  foul  priest,  knife  in  hand  .  .  .  the 
stone  of  the  sacrifice  .  .  .  you  raise  the  obsidian  knife. 
.  .  .  Again  the  chant  of  the  priests  .  .  .  the  light  clash 
of  the  dancing-girls'  anklets  .  .  .  drums  .  .  .  cymbals, 
and  death.  .  .  . 

I  am  in  the  tomb  .  .  .  yes;  fold  my  hands  on  my  breast, 
for  I  have  done  with  life  .  .  .  straight  and  white  I  lie, 
with  cerements  swathing  my  form  .  .  .  this  is  a  king's 
tomb  .  .  .  these  walls  are  painted  with  many  colors  .  .  . 
yonder  are  gods  and  kings  and  heroes  walking  in  long  files 
.  .  .  here  they  sacrifice  to  their  god  .  .  .  there  they  lead 
captive  trains  of  prisoners.  ...  A  splendid  tomb,  but  the 
roof  crushes  me  down  .  .  .  oh,  heaven!  can  those  pillars, 
those  caryatides  support  the  cyclopean  architecture?  .  .  . 
It  will  fall  and  crush  me,  like  Sampson.  .  .  .  Yes,  I 
thirst!  I  am  dead,  but  I  thirst.  .  .  .  Dives  in  hell  .  .  . 
give  me.  .  .  .  What!  a  woman's  face?  ...  I  have  seen 
that  face  before  .  .  .  those  dark  eyes,  that  smiling  mouth 
.  .  .  itisthou!  Dolores!  Oh,  my  heart's  best  love,  I  again 
find  you — in  the  tomb!  ...  we  have  done  with  life  .  .  . 
then  we  were  divided;  but  death,  more  merciful,  has 


IK   SHADOWLAKD.  201 

joined  us  again.  .  .  .  Place  your  cool,  white  hand  on  my 
brow  ...  it  burns  ...  it  burns.  .  .  .  No,  no!  do  not 
leave  me  .  .  .  oh,  I  see  you  fade  in  the  darkness  like  a 
vision  .  .  .  and  this  phantom  which  rises  between  us? 
.  .  .  Oh,  Xuarez!  liar!  thief!  murderer!  .  .  .  thus  do  I 
slay  thee!  ...  So  weak;  so  weary;  I  know  nothing  .  .  . 
where  am  I?  .  .  .  what  am  I?  .  .  .  AY  here  have  my  visions 
fled?  ...  I  am  dead!  not  in  hell  nor  heaven  .  .  .  but 
where?  I  know  not.  ...  I  am  dead  .  .  .  you,  Dolores 
.  .  .  you,  Xuarez  .  .  .  you  all,  dreams  ...  I  lie  here 
dead  and  still  ...  in  my  ear  the  chant  of  a  slave.  .  .  . 
Could  I  only  turn  my  head  ...  ah!  the  slave  rises  .  .  . 
he  bends  over  me  .  .  .  Cocom!  .  .  . 

"Yes,  Senor,  it  is  Cocom,"  said  a  well-known  voice,  as 
a  gentle  hand  skillfully  adjusted  the  bandages. 

"Cocom!"  repeated  Jack,  in  a  weak  voice.  "Am  I 
dead?  Do  I  dream?  Am  I  dead?" 

"No,  Senor  Juan.  You  were  nearly  dead,  and  for  days 
you  have  dreamed  of  many  things.  Now  you  are  better, 
and  will  live." 

"Still  on  earth?" 

"  Yes,  Don  Juan.  Still  do  you  live,  thanks  be  to  the 
gods.  Teoyamiqui  has  not  yet  brought  you  to  her  king- 
dom. Now,  lie  you  still,  Senor.  So!  Drink  this,  and 
speak  not;  you  are  so  weak." 

Jack  raised  his  head  from  the  pillow  and  greedily  drank 
the  contents  of  the  cup  held  to  his  lips  by  Cocom.  Then 
he  closed  his  eyes  and  fell  into  a  refreshing  sleep,  while  the 
old  Indian  sat  quietly  by  the  side  of  the  couch,  muttering 
some  strange  old  song  of  a  forgotten  civilization.  Now 
and  then  a  form  would  glide  into  the  room  and  look  at 
Jack  sleeping  in  the  bed,  so  still,  so  deathlike — some- 
times a  man,  more  often  a  woman;  and  ever  beside  the 
couch  sat  the  stolid  Cocom,  watching  the  face  of  his 
patient  with  intense  interest. 

How  long  he  slept  thus  Jack  did  not  know,  but  when  he 
woke  from  a  refreshing  slumber  all  his  delirium  had 
departed.  He  felt  weak,  truly,  but  clear-headed,  and  calm 
in  his  mind.  Opening  his  eyes  he  listened  vaguely  to  the 
murmuring  song  of  his  attendant,  and  thought  over  the 
events  which  had  preceded  his  illness:  The  entry  into 
Acauhtzin;  the  dismissal  of  the  deputation  at  the  Palacio 


202  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

Nacioual;  the  fight  at  the  sea-gate;  the  interview  in  prison 
with  Don  Hypolito,  and  then  utter  blankness.  He  remem- 
bered fainting  in  the  cell  at  Acauhtzin,  and  now  he  had 
wakened — where?  With  an  effort  he  raised  his  head  and 
looked  round  him. 

In  his  delirium  he  had  thought  he  was  in  a  tomb,  and 
truly  the  room  wherein  he  now  found  himself  was  not 
unlike  one  of  those  strange  Egyptian  sepulchers,  houses 
of  the  dead  wherein  the  highest  art  of  dead  civilization 
was  displayed.  This  low  roof,  formed  of  Titanic  masses  of 
stone;  these  heavy  walls,  gaudy  with  mural  paintings 
representing  gods,  kings,  heroes,  strange  sacrifices,  and 
mystical  ceremonies;  all  was  redolent  of  the  land  of  the 
Nile.  Through  a  narrow  slit  in  the  wall  filtered  the  pale 
light;  skins  of  jaguar  and  puma  carpeted  the  stone  floor; 
rich  coverlets  of  featherwork  lay  over  the  couch,  and  the 
entrance  was  draped  with  gaudy  tapestries,  dyed  with  con- 
fused tints,  hinting  at  barbaric  art.  Jack  for  the 
moment  thought  he  was  indeed  in  Egypt,  when,  sud- 
denly, at  the  side  of  the  room  he  saw  the  hideous  image  of 
Huitzilopochtli,  and  heard  the  monotonous  chant  of  his 
watcher.  Then  his  true  situation  came  vividly  to  his 
mind;  this  was  a  room  in  some  Indian  dwelling,  yonder 
was  the  fierce  god  of  the  Aztecs,  and  by  his  bedside  knelt 
Cocom. 

"Where  am  I?"  asked  the  young  man,  raising  himself 
on  his  elbow  and  looking  at  the  Indian  with  a  puzzled 
expression  of  countenance. 

"In  good  hands,  Senor,"  was  the  evasive  answer. 

"Yes,  yes!  I  know  that.  But  am  I  still  in  Acauht- 
zin?" 

"No;  you  are  many  miles  from  Acauhtzin." 

"But  I  was  there  last  night." 

Cocom  shook  his  head,  and,  producing  a  cigarette, 
lighted  it  carefully,  blew  some  smoke  through  his  nostrils, 
and  looked  steadily  at  Jack  with  his  beady  eyes. 

"You  were  there  five  days  ago,  Sen  or." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Cocom?" 

"Ah!  the  Senor  forgets  that  he  has  been  ill.  For  five 
days  he  has  been  in  the  land  of  everlasting  darkness. 
Cocom  has  watched  many  hours  by  this  couch  and  listened 
to  the  crying  of  the  Senor.  You  have  ^een  visions  and 


IX   SH ADO \VLAND.  203 

heard  voices,  Don  Juan.  On  the  borders  of  Teoyamiqui's 
land  have  you  been,  yet  not  within  her  kingdom.  But 
Cocom  knows  many  things,  and  by  his  art  has  cheated  the 
goddess  of  one  Americano.  You  are  out  of  danger  now, 
Senor,  and  I,  Cocom,  have  cured  you." 

"Mucha  gracias!"  murmured  Jack,  patting  the  Indian 
on  the  shoulder  with  a  weak  hand;  "but  tell  me  where  I 
am  now." 

"  Where  does  your  memory  fail,  Don  Juan?" 

Jack  passed  his  hand  across  his  brow.  The  confusion  of 
his  brain  had  departed.  His  senses  were  clear  now,  and  he 
could  recall  everything  up  to  a  certain  point. 

'•'  I  remember  the  embassy  from  Tlatonac  to  Acauhtzin; 
the  fight  at  the  sea-gate.  There  I  was  struck  down,  and 
recovered  my  senses  in  prison.  With  Don  llypolito  I  held 
a  long  conversation,  and,  I  suppose,  fainted  with  his  voice 
still  in  my  ears.  I  wake  here  at  a  place  you  tell  me  is  far 
from  Acauhtzin,  and  find  you  by  my  side;  you,  Cocom, 
whom  I  supposed  to  be  at  Tlatonac!  " 

"Listen,  Don  Juan,"  said  Cocom,  with  great  delibera- 
tion. ' *  I  will  tell  you  many  things  that  have  taken  place 
since  your  soul  was  in  the  realm  of  shadows.  When  you 
became  insensible  at  Acauhtzin,  a  doctor  was  sent  to  attend 
to  you  by  Don  Hypolito.  That  doctor  did  what  he  could 
for  you,  but  thought  you  would  die,  as  your  soul  was  not 
within  your  body.  Wildly  did  you  cry,  Don  Juan,  and 
many  strange  things  did  you  say.  Then,  by  the  order  of 
Don  Hypolito,  you  were  carried  away  on  board  a  war-ship 
down  the  coast.  At  a  certain  point  your  body  was  taken 
ashore  in  a  boat,  and  there  delivered  to  certain  people,  who 
expected  your  coining.  Having  been  placed  on  a  litter, 
you  were  carried  through  the  forest,  across  the  salt-desert, 
and  again  through  the  forest  till  you  were  placed  on  that 
bed.  For  two  days  have  you  tossed,  and  turned,  and  cried, 
und  fought.  But  now  you  are  well,  Don  Juan;  you  will 
live;  thanks  be  to  the  gods." 

Jack  listened  to  all  this  as  in  a  dream.  The  explanation 
fitted  in  with  those  vague  visions  which  had  haunted  his 
delirious  brain.  The  darkness — that  was  the  cell  at 
Acauhtzin;  the  light  carne  when  he  was  carried  on  board 
the  war-ship.  Then  the  sea-vision;  the  landing  on  the 
coast;  that  mirage  of  a  tropical  forest;  the  snowy  plains  of 


204  THE    HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

salt,  and  the  climbing  of  many  steps  up  to  an  antique  tem- 
ple. A  sudden  thrill  shot  through  his  enfeebled  frame  as 
he  recollected  the  vision  of  the  sacrifice;  he  recollected 
Cocom's  last  words  referring  to  the  gods;  he  glanced  terri- 
fied at  the  frightful  image  of  Huitzilopochtli,  and  turning 
slowly  toward  the  Indian  repeated  his  often-asked  question, 
the  answer  to  which  he  already  guessed. 

"What  is  this  place?" 

Cocom  arose  to  his  feet,  drew  himself  up  to  his  full 
height,  and  pointed  majestically  toward  the  idol. 

"The  temple  of  Huitzilopochtli!  The  shrine  of  the 
Chalchuih  Tlatonac." 

"God!"  cried  Jack,  in  despair,  as  he  recognized  his 
position.  "  I  am  lost! " 

He  saw  his  peril  at  a  glance.  The  threats  of  Don  Hypo- 
lito  regarding  a  frightful  death  were  not  mere  words. 
With  devilish  ingenuity  he  had  secured  the  death  of  his 
rival,  with  no  possible  chance  of  the  truth  becoming 
known.  Jack  saw  that  Xuarez  had  preserved  his  life,  had 
delivered  him  to  the  Indians,  to  the  end  that  he  might  be 
offered  up  on  the  altar  of  the  war-god  as  a  sacrifice  to  the 
opal.  No  wonder  his  usually  brave  heart  quailed  at  the 
prospect  of  such  horrors.  Captive  to  remorseless  savages, 
in  the  heart  of  an  impenetrable  forest,  there  was  no  chance 
of  a  rescue  by  his  friends.  He  was  weak,  unarmed, 
unfriended,  in  the  power  of  a  fanatic  race;  there  was  no 
help  for  it — he  must  die. 

"Cocom,"  whispered  Jack,  clutching  the  Indian's  arm, 
"why  have  I  been  brought  here?  Why  did  Don  Hypolito 
deliver  me  to  the  Indians?  Is  it  for — for — " 

His  dry  lips  refused  to  form  the  horrible  word;  but 
Cocom,  without  the  least  emotion,  supplied  it. 

"  For  sacrifice!  Yes,  Don  Juan;  you  are  to  be  offered  to 
the  god." 

"Horrible!    When?" 

"In  three  weeks.  At  the  termination  of  the  great 
cycle." 

"What do  you  mean?"  asked  Jack,  with  a  shudder. 

"Our  time,"  explained  Cocom,  with  stolid  apathy,  "is 
divided  into  cycles  of  fifty-two  years.  This  have  we 
received  from  our  Aztec  ancestors.  At  the  end  of  a  cycle 
the  sun  will  die  out  in  the  heavens,  and  the  earth  end,  if 


IN  SIIADOWLAND.  205 

the  new  fire  is  not  lighted  on  the  altars  of  the  gods.  When 
the  last  day  of  the  cycle  comes,  you,  Don  Juan,  will  be 
bound  on  the  stone  of  sacrifice;  your  heart  will  be  taken 
out  as  an  offering  to  the  great  gods,  and  on  your  breast 
will  the  new  fire  be  lighted.  Then  will  the  sun  rise 
again,  and  a  new  cycle  begin  for  the  earth.  The  gods  will 
be  appeased  and  mankind  will  be  saved." 

Jack  had  read  of  this  terrible  superstition  in  the  fascin- 
ating pages  of  Prescott,  but  he  never  expected  that  he 
would  one  day  take  an  active  part  in  such  a  ceremony. 
With  the  hope  of  despair  he  endeavored  to  evade  his  doom. 

"  But  the  body  of  a  white  man  will  not  please  the  gods. 
Why  not  sacrifice,  as  your  ancestors  did,  on  the  Hill  of  the 
Star?" 

"  Hitherto,  Seiior,  that  has  been  done.  Now,  however, 
the  gods  have  spoken  through  the  opal,  and  it  is  willed 
that  a  white  man  alone  can  avert  the  end  of  time.  A 
white  man  must  be  sacrificed,  and  you  are  chosen." 

Jack  shuddered  and  hid  his  face  in  his  hands. 

"  Surely,  Seiior,  you  are  not  afraid!  " 

''Afraid!"  echoed  Jack,  uncovering  his  face,  with  a 
frown.  "No,  Cocom;  an  Englishman  is  never  afraid  of 
death.  But  to  come  in  such  a  form  as  this — oh,  horrible! 
horrible!" 

Cocom  could  not  understand  this  alarm.  Like  all 
Indians  he  regarded  death  with  stoical  resignation,  and 
would  have  been  perfectly  willing  himself  to  have  been 
offered  on  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  seeing  such  a  death  would 
admit  him  at  once  into  the  Paradise  of  the  Sun.  But  he 
was  very  old,  and  therefore  useless.  The  gods  demanded 
a  man,  handsome,  young,  in  the  flower  of  his  age,  and 
therefore  was  it  certain  that  Jack  would  be  acceptable  to 
the  bloodthirsty  Huitzilopochtli. 

"  Did  Don  Hypolito  know  this  when  he  delivered  me  to 
your  friends?" 

"  It  was  for  that  purpose  he  delivered  you,  Seiior." 

"Oh,  fiend!  devil!  "cried  Jack,  trying  to  rise  in  his 
bed.  "  I  wish  I  had  my  fingers  round  his  throat!" 

"  Lie  quiet,  Senor,"  said  Cocom,  forcing  him  back. 
"  You  will  make  yourself  ill  again." 

"  Why  should  I  not,  seeing  I  am  only  reserved  for  this 
frightful  death?" 


200  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"That  is  as  it  may  be,  Senor,"  observed  Cocom,  signifi- 
cantly. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Duval,  with  sudden 
hope. 

"Hush!"  replied  the  old  man,  laying  his  finger  on 
his  lips,  and  glancing  apprehensively  around.  "In  this 
temple  the  very  walls  have  ears." 

"You  can  save  me?" 

"  Perhaps.     I  know  not." 

"But—" 

Cocom  bent  over  Jack  on  the  pretense  of  arranging  the 
bed-clothes,  and  brought  his  lips  close  to  the  young 
man's  ear. 

"  Say  not  a  word,  Senor.  If  the  priests  suspect  me,  you 
are  lost.  I  come  hither  as  my  fathers  came  before  me,  but 
I  worship  not  the  devil  stone.  I  am  a  true  Catholic, 
Seiior.  The  priests  wanted  a  victim,  and  asked  me  to 
betray  to  them  Don  Pedro,  when  he  was  with  me  beyond 
the  walls.  Then  I  refused,  and  said  I  could  not  do  so. 
The  end  of  the  cycle  approaches,  and  the  priests  were 
alarmed,  so  they  sent  to  Don  Hypolito,  and  promised  to 
make  all  the  Indians  help  him  in  his  war  if  he  procured 
them  a  white  man  for  a  victim  to  the  gods.  Don 
Hypolito  promised,  and  two  days  ago  sent  you." 

"The  fiends!" 

"Hush!  I  am  a  medicine-man,  and  was  put  by  the 
priests  to  cure  you;  but  they  think  I  wish  to  see  you  sacri- 
ficed. I  do  not.  I  will  save  you." 

"  Oh,  Cocom,  I  thank  you." 

"Are  you  mad,  Senor?"  whispered  the  Indian,  thrust- 
ing him  hurriedly  back;  "eyes  may  be  on  us  now.  The 
walls  of  this  room  are  pierced  with  secret  eye-places." 

Jack  recognized  the  wisdom  of  this  reasoning,  and  sank 
back  on  his  couch.  It  was  just  as  well  he  did  so,  for  at 
that  very  moment  the  drapery  of  the  door  was  swept  aside 
and  a  man  entered  the  room. 

He  was  a  majestic-looking  personage,  much  taller  than 
the  average  Indian.  Indeed,  he  was  as  huge  as  Tim  him- 
self, but  not  so  bulky.  He  wore  a  long  white  robe,  falling 
to  his  feet;  over  this  a  mantle  of  gaudy  leather-work.  On 
his  head  was  set  a  fresh  chaplet  of  flowers,  on  his  breast 
burned  the  red  glimmer  of  a  small  opal.  Advancing  into 


IN    SHAUOWLAND.  207 

the  middle  of  the  room,  he  swung  a  small  incense-burner 
before  Jack,  and  cast  therein  some  odoriferous  gum,  which 
made  a  thick,  perfumed  smoke.  After  this  he  cast  some 
flowers  on  the  couch,  and  muttered  a  few  words  with 
uplifted  hands,  finally  ending  the  ceremony  by  falling  on 
his  knees. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  asked  Jack  of  Cocom,  who 
stood  reverently  on  one  side,  observing  all  this  mummery. 

"Hush,  Senor!     He  adores  you  as  a  god."' 

"Devil  take  him  and  his  worship!"  muttered  Jack, 
crossly,  in  English.  Then  the  priest  spoke  in  the  Indian 
tongue,  and  Cocom  translated  his  speech  to  Jack. 

"  Is  my  lord  better  in  health?  "  asked  the  priest. 

"Tell  him  I  am;  but  I  don't  care  about  being  preserved 
for  sacrifice." 

"Speak  not  so,  Don  Juan,"  said  Cocom,  in  Spanish, 
with  a  look  of  alarm;  "'you  are  not  supposed  to  know  any- 
thing of  that.  I  told  you  on  the  peril  of  my  life." 

"Then  tell  him  whatever  lies  you  please!"  said  Duval, 
viciously,  and,  rolling  over,  turned  his  back  on  the  priest. 

"A  bad  sign!"  murmured  the  priest,  looking  anxiously 
at  Cocom.  "  Is  my  lord  angered?" 

"  Nay,"  replied  Cocom,  in  the  Indian  tongue;  "  my  lord 
is  much  improved  in  health,  0  Ixtlilxochitl;  but,  as  with 
all  who  are  ill  at  ease,  he  is  fretful  and  wanting  in 
courtesy." 

"It  is  true,"  replied  Ixtlilxochitl,  reverently.  "The 
sick  are  ever  foolish.  See  that  thou  make  him  a  man, 
Cocom,  for  the  gods  accept  naught  but  blooming  health." 

"  Oh,  my  sacred  lord,  he  will  be  cured  in  two  days  from 
now.  Cocom  knows  of  magic  herbs  whereby  the  favorite 
of  Huitzilopochtli  can  be  made  whole.  Let  Ixtlilxochitl 
be  content;  my  lord  will  be  pure  and  strong  for  the  sacri- 
fice." 

"  It  is  well,"  said  the  priest,  rising  from  his  knees;  "  I 
will  leave  my  lord  to  his  sleep;  but  will  he  not  vouchsafe 
one  glance  at  his  servant?" 

Instructed  by  Cocom,  Jack  was  forced  to  turn  round 
and  smile  at  the  priest,  who  knelt  down  to  receive  this 
mark  of  favor.  Then  he  adored  Jack  with  more  incense 
and  flowers,  after  which  he  withdrew  with  reverent  genu- 
flections. 


208  THE   HARLEQUIH   OPAL. 

"  The  old  fiend!  "  muttered  Jack,  when  the  drapery  had 
again  veiled  the  door.  "  I  would  like  to  have  sent  a  boot 
at  his  head." 

"Hush,  my  lord  Juan." 

"Carrai!  why  should  I?  That  devil-monkey  does  not 
understand  Spanish." 

"  No,  Seiior.     Still,  it  is  wiser  to  risk  nothing." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  Cocom.  I  place  myself  entirely 
in  your  hands.  Save  me,  and  I  promise  you  I  will  not 
forget  you." 

"Cocom  will  save  you,  for  the  sake  of  Don  Miguel," 
said  the  old  man,  proudly;  "  and  for  the  sake  of  the  lady 
Dolores." 

"Dolores!"  repeated  Jack,  eagerly.  "Do  you  know 
where  she  is?" 

"I  know  nothing  at  present,"  replied  Cocom,  with  a 
meaning  glance.  "Possess  your  soul  in  patience,  Don 
Juan;  all  will  yet  be  well.  Don  Hypolito  desires  to  kill 
you,  and  wed  Dona  Dolores.  He  will  do  neither.  Santis- 
sima  Virgen,  I  swear  it.  Be  silent!  No  words,  my  lord. 
Rest  now,  and  sleep.  You  will  need  all  your  strength." 

"For  the  sacrifice?" 

"Nay,  Senor,  for  escape!  " 


CHAPTEE  XVIII. 


THE   SHRINE   OF   THE    OPAL. 

Lord  of  the  humming-bird's  foot ! 

Behold  thy  worshipers  rising  and  falling  in  adoration  before  thee, 

as  rise  and  fail  the  restless  waves  of  the  far-reaching  ocean. 
These  thousands  gathered  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  are  thine,  and 

thine  only. 
We  see  thine  image,  bedecked  wiih  jewels,  shine  like  the  sun  at  his 

rising; 
Before  thee  the  stone  whereon  the  favored  one  yields  up  his  life  for 

thy  glory. 
Smoking  hearts  dost  thou  love,  the  savor  of  blood,  the  carnage  of 

battle; 

For  thou  art  god  of  war.     Death  alone  is  the  way  to  thy  favor. 
Spins  before  thee  that  precious  stone  by  which  thou  tellest  thy  wishes, 
That  shining,  precious  stone,  which  now  burns  red  as  the  blood  of 

thine  altars; 

Crimson  it  gleams,  hinting  war!    War  is  the  fate  of  the  future! 
O  mighty  one!    Lord  of  the  humming-bird's   foot!  we  pray  thee 

give  order. 

That  the  red  war-light  melt  soon  to  the  azure  of  peace. 
Then  will  fresh  victims  be  thine,  and  happiness  ours. 
Shout,  ye  people!  ask  peace  from  the  lord  of  the  humming-bird's 

foot. 

In  two  days  Jack  was  comparatively  well,  and  able  to 
move  about  without  much  trouble.  This  almost  miracu- 
lous cure  was  effected  by  Cocom  through  the  medium  of 
some  medicinal  herbs,  the  curative  powers  of  which  were 
known  to  him  alone.  Out  of  these  he  made  two  decoc- 
tions, one  for  internal,  the  other  for  external,  application. 
With  the  latter  he  bathed  the  wound  on  Jack's  head,  and 
made  him  drink  quantities  of  the  former  every  two  hours. 
The  effect  was  wonderfully  rapid,  and  Jack  soon  found 
himself  gaining  strength.  In  the  hands  of  a  European 
doctor  he  would  probably  have  been  laid  up  for  weeks;  but 
the  rude  medicine  of  the  Indian  set  him  on  his  legs  in  no 
time.  The  wound  on  his  head  gave  him  no  trouble,  and 
healed  with  great  quickness;  a  fact  which  Jack  put  down 
as  much  to  his  healthy  blood  and  simple  living  as  to 
Cocom's  physicking. 

14  (309) 


210  THE    HARLEQUIN   OPAI,. 

With  renewed  health  and  strength  caine  a  stronger 
desire  to  escape  from  the  horrible  fate  which  awaited  him 
in  a  few  weeks.  When  he  went  out,  however,  and  explored 
the  strange  city,  in  the  center  of  which  stood  the  shrine  of 
the  opal,  Jack  saw  plainly  that  it  would  be  madness  to 
attempt  flight  without  the  assistance  of  Cocom.  The 
Indians  apparently  knew  this,  for,  treated  by  them  more 
as  a  guest  than  a  prisoner,  he  was  permitted  to  wander 
freely  round  the  neighborhood.  Still,  did  he  venture  too 
far  in  the  direction  of  the  belt  of  timber  surrounding  the 
city,  he  was  always  followed  by  two  or  more  native  guards; 
these,  when  he  once  more  returned  to  the  city,  quietly  left 
him.  From  this  espionage  he  plainly  saw  that  his  roam- 
ing was  restricted,  but  not  in  such  a  measure  as  to  cause 
him  any  unpleasant  feeling. 

As  regards  the  behavior  of  the  Indians,  Jack  had  noth- 
ing to  complain  of.  Indeed,  they  could  scarcely  have  been 
more  deferential.  Regarded  as  a  kind  of  deity,  his  appear- 
ance was  the  signal  for  the  most  slavish  adulation.  The 
Indians,  of  whom  there  was  a  goodly  number  in  the  vicinity, 
threw  themselves  on  their  faces  before  him  as  he  walked 
abroad  attended  by  Cocom.  If  he  seated  himself,  they 
strewed  flowers  at  his  feet,  and  swung  censers,  fragrant 
with  copal,  until  he  was  almost  hidden  by  white  wreaths  of 
perfumed  smoke.  This  popularity  was  not  unpleasant; 
but,  as  Jack  knew  it  was  but  a  prelude  to  the  sacrificial 
stone,  he  was  anything  but  gratified  at  thus  being  contin- 
ually reminded  of  the  dangerous  position  in  which  he 
stood. 

On  recovering  his  health,  Jack  found  Cocom  much  more 
reticent  than  when  he  was  acting  as  doctor.  Several 
times  had  he  been  on  the  point  of  making  some  important 
communication,  but  always  stopped  short  and  refused  to 
speak  further.  Jack  supposed  this  caution  was  on  account 
of  the  priests,  who,  despite  the  deference  of  their  demeanor, 
kept  a  close  watch  on  his  actions  and  on  those  of  Cocom. 
The  high  priest,  Ixtlilxochitl,  was  a  mild-looking  old  man, 
who  treated  Jack  in  a  most  courteous  manner,  and  fre- 
quently expressed  his  pleasure  that  the  white  lord  had  so 
soon  recovered  his  health.  Such  inquiries  would  have  been 
much  more  acceptable  had  not  the  recipient  known  that 
they  were  but  the  outcome  of  IxtlilxochitFs  desire  that  he 


THE   SHRINE   OF  THE   OPAL.  211 

should  be  in  good  condition  for  the  sacrifice.  It  was  no 
pleasant  thing  for  Duval  to  know  that  these  courtesies 
came  from  an  old  gentleman  who  was  anxiously  looking 
forward  to  taking  his  life. 

Under  these  circumstances  Jack  did  not  wonder  that 
Cocom  was  cautious,  and  though  for  the  moment  the  atti- 
tude of  the  old  Indian  appeared  anything  but  friendly, 
Jack  quite  relied  on  him  to  aid  his  escape.  He  was  anxious 
to  escape  from  this  buried  city,  where  he  was  threatened 
with  so  terrible  a  fate;  he  was  longing  to  return  to  Tla- 
tonac  for  the  purpose  of  reassuring  his  friends,  who  he 
knew  would  be  terribly  put  out  by  his  disappearance  at 
Acauhtzin;  and  above  all  he  was  anxious  to  be  free  so  as 
to  search  for  Dolores. 

In  Jack's  opinion  she  was  at  Acauhtzin,  as  a  man  so  vile 
as  Don  Hypolito  could  no  longer  be  believed.  If  she  was 
not  in  the  power  of  the  rebel  leader,  she  would  have  been 
with  the  Indians.  Yet  here  was  Jack  in  the  very  heart  of 
this  aboriginal  civilization,  in  the  stronghold  of  the  opal, 
yet  he  neither  saw  her  nor  heard  anything  of  her.  He  ques- 
tioned Cocom,  but  that  wily  old  man  replied  that  he  knew 
nothing;  and  as  Don  Hypolito  had  admitted  that  he  knew 
where  she  was,  Jack  felt  sure  that  the  poor  girl  was  held  a 
prisoner  by  the  Mestizo  at  Acauhtzin.  He  was  therefore 
anxious  to  escape  and  get  back  to  Tlatonac  for  the  pur- 
pose of  urging  on  the  war  with  all  possible  speed,  so  that 
the  northern  capital  should  be  invested  within  a  reasonable 
time,  and  Dolores  rescued  from  her  terrible  position. 
Consequently,  escape  was  his  one  aim;  but  he  saw  plainly 
that  without  assistance  it  would  be  impossible  to  leave  this 
city  of  the  opal,  buried  as  it  was  in  the  savage  solitudes  of 
primeval  forests. 

That  this  famous  opal  shrine  was  in  Cholacaca  he  knew 
perfectly  well,  but  as  he  had  been  brought  hither  in  an 
unconscious  state,  he  was  quite  at  a  loss  to  lay  his  finger 
on  the  precise  locality.  Cholacaca,  east  to  west,  was  two 
hundred  miles  from  mountains  to  sea,  so  the  city  of  the 
opal  could  not  be  situated  out  of  this  radius.  It  might  be 
fifty,  a  hundred,  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  sea, 
and  Jack,  knowing  by  his  pocket-compass  in  which  direc- 
tion to  go,  calculated  that  if  he  marched  due  east  he  would 
not  fail  to  reach  the  coast.  Once  there,  and  he  could  soon 


212  THE  HAKLEQUIN   OPAL. 

pick  up  a  canoe  or  some  light  boat,  in  which  he  could  get 
m  due  time  to  Tlatonac. 

But  to  start  for  the  coast  without  knowing  the  geog- 
raphy of  the  country  was  sheer  madness,  and  Jack  stamped 
his  foot  with  rage  as  he  thought  of  the  miles  of  trackless 
forest  which  lay  between  him  and  freedom.  To  push  one's 
way  through  a  virgin  forest  is  difficult  in  any  case;  but  to 
make  the  attempt  without  arms,  companions,  food,  and 
guides  was  quite  an  impossibility.  That  there  was  some 
secret  way  to  the  coast  was  plain,  as  the  Indians  came 
hither  to  this  shrine  from  Tlatonac;  but  that  way  was 
known  only  to  the  priests.  Within  a  certain  distance  every 
new-comer  was  blinded  with  a  bandage,  and  this  was  taken 
off  in  the  square  before  the  principal  teocalli.  The  wor- 
shipers were  conducted  into  the  forests  with  the  same  pre- 
cautions; so,  unless  he  could  bribe  a  priest  to  show  him  the 
secret  way,  Jack  foresaw  absolutely  no  chance  of  gaining 
his  freedom. 

It  was  a  buried  city,  but  not  a  ruined  city,  for  here  the 
aboriginal  civilization  flourished  greatly,  as  it  had  done 
before  the  coming  of  the  Spaniards  to  Anahuac.  Situated 
in  a  hollow  cup,  on  all  sides  arose  verdant  forests  of  bright 
green,  clothing  the  base  of  great  mountains,  which  showed 
their  serrated  peaks  above  the  vegetation.  On  three  sides 
the  city  was  shut  in  by  these  giant  barriers,  but  toward  the 
west  opened  a  rugged  canon,  through  which  flowed  a  noisy 
stream.  A  road  ran  along  the  west  side  of  this  freak  of 
nature,  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock,  so  narrow  as  to  allow  only 
three  men  to  walk  abreast.  Above  and  below  were  the 
cliffs,  thousands  of  feet  in  height  and  depth.  No  foe  could 
enter  the  city  by  that  pass,  which  led  into  the  great  mount- 
ains of  the  interior  continent;  but  no  foe  would  wish  to 
enter,  for  this  city  was  holy  ground,  the  Mecca  of  the  abo- 
rigines; and  had  preserved  its  inviolability  from  an  invasion 
for  centuries. 

"It  was  built  by  the  Toltecs,  Sefior,"  said  Cocom,  who 
acted  as  Jack's  cicerone.  "  Ages  ago,  you  must  know, 
this  race  came  hither  from  the  North.  It  was  they  who 
built  Hie  great  cities  of  Yucatan  in  the  dark  past. 
Dxmal,  Ake",  Chichen-Itza — they  reared  them  all.  A 
glorious  rioc  were  my  ancestors,  Senor." 

"But  you  are  not  a  descendant  of  the  Toltecs,  Cocom?  " 


THE  SHRINE  OF  THE  OPAL.  213 

"No,  Senor,  I  am  a  Maya.  My  ancestors  ruled  at 
Mayapan.  See,"  added  the  Indian,  plucking  a  yellow 
flower  sprouting  out  from  a  crevice  close  at  hand,  "  this  is 
the  plant  Cocom — my  name,  Senor,  and  that  of  the  great 
kings  who  ruled  Yucatan.  The  Mayas  also  built  great 
cities;  but  Toltecs  or  Mayas,  Don  Juan,  what  does  it 
matter?  I  am  a  poor  Indian,  crushed  under  the  heel  of  the 
white  man/' 

"You  say  the  Toltecs  built  this  city  also?" 

"Surely,  Don  Juan.  They  came  and  they  went;  no 
one  knows  whither  they  went.  We  are  born,  Senor,  but 
we  know  not  from  whence  we  come.  We  die,  but  we  know 
not  whither  we  go.  So  with  the  Toltecs.  They  came, 
they  went,  and  we  know  nothing  more.  But  they  left 
their  cities  behind  them,  Senor,  to  show  how  great  they 
were.  In  their  wanderings — I  speak  from  the  traditions 
of  the  priests — in  their  wanderings,  Senor,  they  came  to 
this  place,  through  yonder  canon;  up  the  gorge,  I  think, 
for  then  there  was  no  river,  no  road.  Here  they  lost  their 
leader,  and  built  this  city  to  commemorate  his  greatness. 
It  is  so  called  after  him — Totatzine." 

"  Oh,  that  was  his  name,  no  doubt?"  , 

"Quien  sabe!  No,  I  do  not  know  what  his  name  was. 
Totatzine  is  a  Nahua  word,  meaning  '  Our  Great  Father/ 
He  was  their  father  and  leader,  so  they  called  this  place 
Totatzine.  It  is  a  monument  to  his  memory." 

"It  is  a  holy  city?" 

"For  ages,  Seiior,  it  has  been  sacred,"  replied  Cocom, 
seriously.  "  Here  it  was  that  the  god  Tezcatlipoca  had  his 
shrine;  but  when  the  guardians  of  the  opal  stone  fled 
hither,  the  worship  of  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac  became  the 
great  religion  here.  Now  the  soul  of  the  universe  is  for- 
gotten, and  Huitzilopochtli  alone  is  adored  with  his  devil 
stone." 

"  Who  is  the  soul  of  the  universe? " 

"Tezcatlipoca!  It  is  strange,  Senor,  that  the  name  of 
this  god  means  '  the  shining  mirror/  while  the  Chalchuih 
Tlatonac  means  'the  shining  precious  stone';  so  you  see 
the  religion  has  changed  but  little." 

"Do  you  not  adore  the  old  gods,  Cocom?" 

The  Indian  looked  fearfully  around,  as  though  he  deemed 
his  answer,  though  delivered  in  Spanish,  would  be  over- 
heard and  understood  by  some  lurking  priest. 
14 


214  THE  HAKLEQtriK  OPAL. 

' '  No,  Senor  Juan/*'  he  whispered,  at  length.  "  I  believe 
the  opal  can  prophesy  because  it  is  inhabited  by  devils,  as 
we  are  told  by  the  good  Padre;  but  I  worship  the  Holy 
One  and  his  virgin  mother.  I  am  a  Catholic,  Senor;  but 
once  I  was  an  adorer  of  Huitzilopochtli,  and  it  is  hard  to 
break  away,  Seiior,  from  the  habits  of  youth.  I  came 
then,  I  come  now;  and  though  I  am  looked  upon  as  one 
devoted  to  the  old  gods,  yet  do  I  follow  the  faith  of  the 
good  Padre! " 

"I  am  glad  of  that,  Cocom.  Otherwise  you  would  not 
help  me  to  escape." 

"True.  The  Holy  Virgin  has  you  in  her  care,  Don 
Juan.  I  am,  assuredly,  the  only  Catholic  here  in  this  city 
of  the  devil  stone,  and  I  am  your  friend.  You  will  I  aid 
to  escape." 

"When?" 

"  Hush!  my  lord.     Behold,  Ixtlilxochitli  is  at  hand/' 

The  suave  priest  passed  them  slowly,  and  bent  his  head 
with  abject  deference  as  Jack  looked  at  him.  He  made  as 
though  he  would  have  stopped;  but  Duval  waved  his  hand 
to  intimate  that  he  did  not  wish  to  be  disturbed.  Ixtlil- 
xochitli made  a  second  genuflection,  and  resumed  his  way. 
It  was  wonderful  to  see  how  these  bloodthirsty  idolaters 
obeyed  the  slightest  wish  of  their  proposed  victim. 

"  He  thinks  we  are  plotting,"  hinted  Jack,  looking 
after  the  old  man  with  anything  but  an  amiable  expression. 

"No;  he  trusts  me  too  much.  Besides,  he  would  not 
care  if  he  did  guess  we  were  plotting,  Seiior,  thinking,  as 
he  does,  that  I  know  not  the  secret  way." 

"  And  do  you  know  it?" 

Cocom  looked  around  and  saw  nobody.  Then  he  turned 
toward  Jack  and  nodded  significantly. 

"Yes,  Senor,  I  do  know  it." 

"  Bueno!     And  when — " 

"  Another  time,  Don  Juan;  we  have  already  spoken 
too  long.  Let  us  resume  onr  examination  of  the  sacred 
city.  It  is  not  wise  to  be  incautious.  Folly  is  loud  of 
speech,  but  wisdom  is  silent." 

Jack  acquiesced  in  this  view  of  the  matter,  and  they 
walked  on.  He  was  greatly  interested  in  all  he  saw  around 
him,  as  it  is  not  given  to  every  one  to  view  a  great  aboriginal 
civilization  in  its  full  glory.  But  for  the  horrible  fear  he 


THE   SHRIKE   OF   THE   OPAL.  215 

had  of  failing  to  escape,  and  thus  run  the  risk  of  being 
sacrificed  to  the  war-god,  he  would  have  been  quite  fasci- 
nated by  this  extraordinary  place.  Always  a  bit  of  an 
archaeologist,  he  viewed  with  enthusiasm  these  giant  palaces, 
these  massive  temples — works  of  a  great  race — still  as  fresh 
under  the  blue  tropic  sky  of  to-day  as  when  they  Avere  first 
reared  in  the  dim  past.  When  Europe  was  a  land  of  sav- 
ages, this  city  was  built;  it  rose  in  its  splendor  while  Greece 
was  in  her  glory,  and  Rome  was  not.  Back,  many  ages 
back,  before  Christ,  before  David,  perchance  before  Abra- 
ham, these  superb  edifices  rested  majestically  in  this  smil- 
ing valley.  Still  were  they  inhabited;  still  were  they  the 
home  of  a  race,  of  a  religion;  the  seat  of  a  barbaric  civil- 
ization, the  oracle  of  a  faith,  as  they  had  been  in  their 
pristine  glory.  The  Empire  of  Montezuina  had  fallen  in 
Mexico,  the  Incas  were  now  but  a  name  in  Peru;  gone  were 
the  Toltecs,  scattered  the  Mayas,  yet  the  buried  city  of 
Totatzine,  safe  in  the  midst  of  primeval  forests,  endured 
still,  and  would  endure,  until  that  fatal  day,  which  would 
surely  come,  when  the  aboriginal  race  would  silently  retreat 
before  the  conquering  forces  of  civilization.  Here  was  the 
last  stronghold  of  the  old  gods,  driven  from  the  table-lands 
of  Anahuac;  here  smoked  anew  those  altars  overturned  by 
the  Conquistadores;  here  shrieked  the  victim  on  the  terrible 
stone  of  sacrifice,  and  here  was  the  shrine  of  the  famous 
opal,  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac,  the  very  mention  of  which 
thrilled  the  hearts  of  all  far  and  wide  with  superstitious 
dread. 

The  sacred  city  was  admirably  situated  for  all  purposes. 
Nothing  could  be  more  beautiful  than  this  majestic  work 
of  man,  set  like  a  jewel  within  the  green  circle  of  the  forest- 
clad  mountains.  Its  health  was  assured  by  its  being  for- 
tunately placed  in  the  genial  climate  of  the  Tiera  Templada. 
A  vast  wall  built  across  the  huge  rift  of  the  canon  pro- 
tected it  from  foes  in  the  west,  and  the  peaks,  the  impen- 
etrable forests,  formed  a  barrier  against  the  outside  world 
on  all  other  sides.  Its  inviolability  depended  upon  its 
remaining  hidden  in  the  shadow  of  the  forests;  and  in  this 
isolated  valley  none  would  guess  the  secret  of  its  existence. 
It  was  veritably  a  buried  city,  secluded  from  the  prying 

faze  of  mankind,  and  was  probably  the  only  one  of  its 
ind  in  the  world.     Beautiful,  healthy,  well  defended, 


216  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

closely  hidden,  this  strange  town  was  the  pride  of  the  bar- 
baric tribes  of  Central  America — their  Mecca,  their  Jerusa- 
lem; the  altar  of  their  ancient  faith;  the  city  of  the  shin- 
ing precious  stone.  This  was  the  true  city  of  the  opal, 
and  not  Tlatonac;  for  here  in  the  central  shrine  flashed  the 
great  gem  on  the  altar  of  the  war-god.  The  paths  of  all 
savage  men  converged  to  this  place,  and  from  here  welled 
forth  the  influence  of  the  old  gods  which  frustrated  the 
efforts  of  the  padres  to  Christianize  the  tribes  of  Central 
America. 

Down  the  eastern  peaks  fell  a  mighty  torrent,  which 
swept  irresistibly  across  the  flat  plain,  and  emerged  from 
the  valley  through  the  canon  on  the  west.  On  either  side 
of  this  stream  was  the  city  built,  and  three  bridges  of  mass- 
ive stone  connected  the  one  town  with  the  other.  That 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  stream  was  the  city  of  the  priests, 
while  to  the  left  lay  the  city  of  commerce,  of  dwellings,  of 
daily  life.  In  the  sacerdotal  town  a  large  square  sur- 
rounded the  vast  mound  whereon  was  built  the  teocalli  of 
the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac,  and  from  this  square  streets  radi- 
ated to  the  stream,  to  the  mountains,  to  the  wall,  like  the 
spokes  of  a  vast  wheel.  A  similar  square,  with  radiating 
streets,  formed  the  plan  of  the  other  town,  save  that  the 
palace  of  the  Cacique  occupied  the  place  of  the  teocalli. 
Both  towns  were  crowded  with  Indians,  but  the  sacerdotal 
portion  was  principally  filled  with  pilgrims,  come  to  wor- 
ship at  the  shrine  of  the  opal,  while  the  settled  population 
lived  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream.  There  were  large 
caravansaries  round  the  teocalli,  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  visitors  who  came  from  all  parts  of  Central  America; 
and  Totatzine  derived  its  wealth,  its  splendor,  its  very 
existence  from  the  constant  crowds  pouring  in  through 
the  secret  way  to  worship  the  old  gods.  The  entrance  to 
that  way  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  shrine  itself,  but  none 
knew  the  exact  place  save  the  priests  of  Huitzilopochtli, 
and  these  jealously  preserved  the  secret  on  which  depended 
their  power. 

Accompanied  by  the  faithful  Cocom,  who,  notwith- 
standing his  advanced  age,  could  bear  a  great  deal  of 
fatigue,  Jack  explored  the  two  cities,  meeting  everywhere 
with  the  greatest  deference  from  the  populace.  Unpleasant 
as  was  his  position  he  almost  forgot  his  peril  in  con- 


THE   SHRIXE   OF  THE  OPAL.  217 

templating  the  wonderful  buildings  around  him.  The 
architecture  of  the  houses  was  similar  to  that  of  ancient 
Egypt.  Long  ranges  of  squat  pillars,  decorated  with  vivid 
hues;  mural  paintings,  religious  and  warlike  in  character; 
massive  walls  of  reddish  stone,  sloping  inward  as  they 
gained  height;  colossal  flights  of  steps  leading  up  to 
cyclopean  doorways,  and  everywhere  the  grotesque  images 
of  the  Aztec  gods. 

From  the  flat  roofs  of  the  houses  arose  truncated  towers, 
carved  rudely  with  all  the  hideous  forms  of  an  obscure 
mythology.  From  these  one  could  see  the  vast  expanse  of 
the  city,  the  interminable  lines  of  the  terraces  falling  one 
below  the  other  to  the  narrow  streets,  the  great  squares 
crowded  with  people,  dominated  by  teocalli,  by  palace, 
and  far  off  the  somber  length  of  the  Avail  stretching  across 
the  canon;  while  beyond  this  barrier  the  winding  cliffs  of 
the  gulch  shut  out  all  view  of  the  world  beyond.  All  was 
vague,  awesome,  terrible;  the  city  wore  a  menacing  aspect 
even  in  the  cheerful  sunlight,  and  the  confused  murmur 
rising  upward  from  the  streets  seemed  like  the  lamenta- 
tions of  countless  victims,  the  moaning  of  countless  genera- 
tions, tortured,  terrified,  blinded  by  the  blood-stained 
deities  of  Anahuac. 

"If  the  Senor  so  pleases,  we  will  go  to  the  teocalli," 
said  Cocom,  after  they  had  quite  exhausted  the  commercial 
portion  of  the  city,  "and  there  behold  the  opal/' 

"  I  should  like  to  see  it,  above  all  things,"  replied  Jack, 
remembering  his  first  glimpse  of  the  gem;  "  but  I  thought 
the  priests  would  not  let  me  enter  the  temple." 

"  You  can  go  anywhere,  Don  Juan.  Remember,  in  the 
eyes  of  the  priests,  of  the  people,  you  are  a  deity." 

' '  A  poor  deity,  seeing  I  am  but  preserved  for  that  cursed 
altar.  Where  will  they  kill  me,  Cocom — that  is,  if  they 
get  the  chance?" 

"  On  the  sacrificial  stone  in  front  of  the  teocalli.  Your 
heart  will  be  taken  out,  and  then,  when  the  sacred  fire  is 
kindled,  your  body  will  be  hurled  down  the  steps  of  the 
pyramid." 

"  A  very  pleasant  little  programme,"  said  Duval,  grimly: 
"  it  is  a  pity  it  should  not  be  carried  out;  but  as  I  propose 
to  run  away  I  guess  it  will  be  Hamlet  with  the  Dane  left 
out.  Bueno,  Cocom!  let  us  view  the  shambles." 


218  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

The  Indian  assented,  and,  having  crossed  over  the  bridge, 
they  walked  up  the  straight,  narrow  street  which  led  to 
the  central  square.  Such  people  as  they  passed  imme- 
diately prostrated  themselves  on  the  ground,  and  in  some 
cases  suffered  Jack  to  walk  over  them.  The  young 
engineer  felt  inclined  to  kick  them,  so  enraged  did  he  feel 
at  being  thus  perpetually  reminded  of  his  probable  fate; 
but  as  such  conduct  would  scarcely  be  politic,  he  managed, 
though  with  difficulty,  to  restrain  himself. 

Soon  they  emerged  from  the  street  between  two  colossal 
carved  idols  of  appalling  ugliness,  and  the  square  lay  open 
before  them.  Like  a  vast  mountain  arose  the  huge  mound, 
with  five  successive  stages,  and  up  to  the  truncated  sum- 
mit, from  the  base,  stretched  a  broad  flight  of  sixty  steps. 
Wide  and  shallow  was  this  staircase,  with  huge  stone 
masks  scowling  on  each  step.  These  demonic  counte- 
nances were  crowned  with  twisted  serpents,  and  had 
protruding  tongues,  symbolical  of  life  and  light. 

"Look  like  pantomime  ogres,"  thought  the  irreverent 
Jack,  contemplating  these  horrors.  "  I  say,  Cocom," 
he  said,  in  Spanish,  "what  are  these  heads  meant  to 
represent?" 

"  They  are  god-stars  throwing  their  light  over  the  earth, 
Sefior.  The  projecting  tongues  represent  them  doing  so." 

"Bueno!  I  never  should  have  thought  putting  out 
one's  tongue  meant  such  a  lot.  Come,  Cocom,  let  us 
ascend  the  steps." 

"One  moment,  Don  Juan!"  said  Cocom,  in  a  low 
voice,  as  Jack  put  his  foot  on  the  lower  step;  "  I  have 
a  reason  for  taking  you  up  here." 

"To  see  the  opal?" 

"Yes;  and  to  see  something  else,  connected  with  your 
escape,  Sefior.  We  can  talk  freely  in  the  teocalli ;  for  now 
it  is  noon,  and  no  priest  is  in  the  temple." 

"Good!  We  will  have  it  all  to  ourselves.  But  I  won- 
der at  them  leaving  the  opal  unguarded." 

"Santissima!  it  is  quite  safe,  Don  Juan!  No  one 
would  steal  the  opal.  Even  if  any  one  did,  he  could  not  get 
out  of  the  town;  and  if  he  did  get  out  of  the  town  he 
would  be  killed  before  he  reached  the  coast." 

"I  see!  Superstition  is  a  greater  safeguard  than  bolts 
or  bars." 


THE   SHRIKE   OF  THE   OPAL.  219 

"  Promise  me,  Senor,  you  will  not  cry  out  at  that  which 
I  am  going  to  show  you,"  said  the  Indian,  disregarding 
Jack's  remark. 

"I  don't  know  what  you  are  going  to  show  me,  but  I 
promise  you  I'll  keep  silent." 

"Bueno,  Senor  Juan!     Let  us  go!" 

He  ascended  the  steps  slowly,  followed  by  Jack,  who 
was  much  puzzled  to  know  the  reason  of  this  warning. 
Cocom,  however,  had  proved  himself  to  be  a  true  friend, 
so  Duval  trusted  him  implicitly,  and  was  quite  satisfied 
that  the  Indian  did  not  speak  without  cause.  Up  those 
interminable  steps  they  went,  till  Jack  thought  they  would 
never  reach  the  summit,  and,  being  still  weak  from  illness, 
bad  to  pause  three  or  four  times  during  the  ascent.  At 
last  they  arrived  at  the  top,  and  Cocom,  making  Jack  sit 
down  to  rest  himself,  went  into  the  temple.  During  the 
absence  of  the  old  man,  his  patient  amused  himself  in 
examining  the  teocalli,  and  admiring  the  splendid  view  out- 
spread before  him. 

Far  below  he  could  see  the  dual  city  like  a  map,  inter- 
sected by  the  stream  which  cut  it  clean  in  two.  The 
streets,  running  at  right  angles,  made  it  look  like  a  chess- 
board, and  on  both  sides  of  the  river  were  the  great  gaps 
of  the  squares.  The  surrounding  green  of  the  forests,  the 
gray  worn  peaks  sharply  defined  against  the  blue  sky,  the 
reddish-colored  city  in  the  hollow,  all  made  up  an  inex- 
pressibly beautiful  picture.  He  could  see  the  figures  of 
men,  women,  and  animals  moving  like  ants  through  the 
squares,  bright-colored  dots  of  crawling  life.  To  his  ear 
came  the  hoarse  roar  of  the  river  dashing  on  its  rocky  bed, 
the  confused  hum  of  voices,  the  faint  cries  of  merchants, 
the  thin  songs  of  women  seated  on  the  distant  flat  roofs. 
Hither  ascended  the  mingled  murmur,  as  though  the  busy 
city  exhaled  a  huge  sigh  of  sorrow  and  fear  in  the  ear  of 
their  god,  whose  burdens  were  so  heavy  upon  them. 

Then  he  turned  to  view  the  teocalli,  which  he  found  not 
unworthy  of  his  regard.  Indeed,  the  whole  pyramid  aroused 
his  admiration.  This  vast  mound  of  earth,  faced  with  a 
coating  of  adobe  and  covered  with  silvery  cement,  was  a 
feat  of  engineering  which  at  the  first  sight  appeared  some- 
what startling,  seeing  it  was  the  work  of  a  barbaric  race. 
Jack  was  a  civil  engineer,  and  learned  in  mechanics;  but 


220  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

it  puzzled  him  to  think  how  this  great  mass  had  been 
built  up.  What  armies  of  men  must  have  been  employed 
in  its  construction!  What  architectural  skill  was  needed! 
How  completely  were  the  four  sides  covered  with  the 
smooth  cement!  This  mound,  a  mere  mole-hill  compared 
with  the  great  artificial  hills  of  Quemada,  Cholula,  or 
Palanque,  was  as  marvelous  a  work  of  man  as  the  pyramids 
of  Egypt,  and  as  mysterious. 

The  teocalli  itself  was  a  structure  of  red  stone,  consist- 
ing of  two  truncated  towers,  joined  together  by  a  flat- 
roofed  building,  in  the  center  of  which  was  a  wide,  low 
doorway,  the  sides  of  which  inclined  inward  till  they 
nearly  touched  at  the  lintel.  The  whole  of  this  facade 
was  elaborately  carved  with  convoluted  serpents,  mastodon 
heads,  and  frequently  bizarre  emblems  intermingled  with 
representations  of  the  moon  and  stars.  Birds,  fishes, 
bows,  arrows,  and  blazing  suns  were  also  carved  with  won- 
derful skill  out  of  this  dull-hued  stone,  and  directly  over 
the  door  itself  flamed  a  painted  opal,  darting  rays  of  divers 
hues.  As  all  these  arabesques  were  gaudily  colored  the 
effect  may  be  imagined,  and  Jack's  eyes  ached  as  this  gro- 
tesque confusion  of  crude  tints  blazed  in  the  strong  sun- 
light. In  front  of  the  teocalli,  to  the  left,  was  a  large 
serpent-skin  drum,  used  for  summoning  the  devotees  of 
the  god;  but  Jack  did  not  look  so  much  at  this  as  at  an 
object  which  he  viewed  with  horrified  repugnance.  This 
was  a  huge  block  of  jasper,  slanting  and  polished,  on 
which  many  unhappy  beings  had  been  slain;  on  which  he 
himself  was  destined  to  suffer.  Only  by  a  strong  effort  did 
he  keep  his  eyes  for  a  moment  on  this  couch  of  death,  and 
then  averted  them  with  a  shudder. 

Eising  from  his  seat,  he  walked  toward  the  door  of  the 
temple,  and  was  met  at  the  entrance  by  Cocom.  The  Indian 
threw  a  glance  down  the  staircase,  to  see  that  no  one  was 
ascending,  and  then  stood  on  one  side  to  let  Jack  pass  into 
the  shrine. 

"You  can  enter  now,  Senor,  and  speak  with  safety." 

It  was  some  time  before  Jack's  eyes  became  accustomed 
to  the  gloom,  for  the  shrine  was  only  lighted  from  the 
door.  In  this  vast  apartment  twilight  prevailed,  and 
showed  but  dimly  the  flash  of  jewels,  the  glitter  of  gold 
and  silver.  The  sides  were  incrusted  with  stucco  carved 


THE   SHKIXE   OF   THE   OPAL.  221 

with  figures  of  Aztec  deities,  which  formed  the  court  to  the 
terrible  war-god.  Teoyamiqui,  the  goddess  of  death,  was 
there,  with  her  skirt  of  platted  snakes;  Teotl,  the  supreme 
deity  of  Anahuac;  Tlacatecolotl,  his  enemy,  the  spirit  of 
evil;  Quetzalcoatl,  Tlaloc,  Centeoti,  and  many  other  gods 
of  that  terrible  hierarchy.  Masks  formed  of  turquoise 
stones  hung  on  the  walls;  here  and  there  were  small  altars, 
on  which  burned  scented  gums,  and  at  the  end  of  the  hall, 
under  a  canopy  of  richly  carved  and  gilded  wood,  sat  the 
terrible  one,  the  war-god  Huitzilopochtli. 

His  image  was  scarcely  human,  but  seemed  to  be  simply 
a  block  of  wood  distorted  into  hideous  shapes.  In  one 
hand  he  grasped  a  bow,  in  the  other  a  sheaf  of  arrows;  deli- 
cate humming-bird  feathers  adorned  his  left  foot,  and  his 
waist  was  encircled  by  a  serpent  formed  of  precious  stones — 
emeralds,  turquoises,  pearls,  all  glittering  dimly  in  the  pale 
twilight.  Behind  the  god  spread  a  sheet  of  solid  gold, 
carved  with  the  attributes  of  his  deity,  and  in  front  of  him 
appeared  a  grotesquely  carved  altar,  on  which  rested  a  red 
object.  Jack,  holding  his  nose,  for  the  stench  of  the 
slaughter-house  was  terrible,  advanced  to  see  what  it  was. 
He  started  back  with  an  exclamation  of  horror.  It  was  a 
bleeding  human  heart. 

As  he  started  back,  a  blue  flare  seemed  to  strike  across 
his  eyes.  He  looked  up,  and  lo  !  the  Harlequin  Opal. 
Depending  from  the  roof  by  a  gold  thread,  the  great  jewel 
twisted  slowly  round  in  front  of  the  altar,  the  height  of  a 
man  from  the  ground.  With  every  revolution  the  colors 
changed,  like  those  of  a  chameleon.  Now  would  radiate  a 
bright  green  flame,  then  a  blue  ray  would  flash  like  a  streak 
of  lightning  through  the  gloom;  at  times  the  whole  stone 
shone  yellow  as  the  sun,  and  oftentimes  a  fierce  tongue  of 
red  would  dart  from  its  breast.  All  these  changes  were 
caused  by  the  constant  twirling  of  the  cord  by  which  it  was 
suspended,  and  even  in  the  half  light  the  splendid  gem 
scattered  its  tints  on  all  sides  with  the  utmost  brilliance. 

Fascinated  by  the  magnificent  jewel,  Jack  stepped  for- 
ward to  examine  it  closely;  but,  just  as  he  laid  his  finger 
on  it,  he  heard  a  voice:  ' '  Beware  ! " 

It  was  a  woman's  voice.  He  turned  in  alarm,  and  saw  a 
woman  standing  near  the  doorway.  The  light  fell  full  on 
her  face,  and  Jack  rushed  forward,  with  a  loud  cry  of  joy, 
to  clasp  her  in  his  arms.  It  was  Dona  Dolores  ! 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

JLN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING. 

Time  is  fond  of  strange  surprises, 
Ne'er  we  know  what  is  before  us; 

Acting  as  stern  Fate  advises, 

Time  is  fond  of  strange  surprises. 

Empires  fall,  a  nation  rises; 
Those  who  hated,  now  adore  us. 

Time  is  fond  of  strange  surprises, 
Ne'er  we  know  what  is  before  us. 

It  was  Dolores!  The  lost  Dolores  for  whom  he  had 
sought  so  long,  so  vainly.  She  lay  on  his  breast,  sobbing 
as  though  her  heart  would  break,  and  Jack  was  so  over- 
come with  emotion  that  he  could  not  speak.  Cocom,  with 
true  delicacy,  had  withdrawn,  and  they  were  alone  in  the 
temple.  For  some  moments  they  could  neither  speak  nor 
move,  but  remained  locked  in  one  another's  arms,  silently, 
passionately  grateful  for  the  meeting.  Behind  them  the 
slowly  revolving  opal  flashed  out  a  thin  streak  of  blue.  It 
was  an  omen  of  peace,  of  love. 

Jack,  as  was  natural,  first  recovered  himself,  and  did  all 
in  his  power  to  quiet  the  hysterical  emotion  of  Dolores. 
The  poor  girl  looked  ill  and  haggard,  as  well  she  might, 
seeing  how  much  she  had  suffered  during  the  last  fort- 
night. Torn  from  her  home,  from  her  friends,  her 
kindred,  her  lover;  entombed  in  the  sepulcher  of  a  vast 
forest,  with  no  hope  of  ever  being  released,  she  had 
abandoned  herself  to  despair.  The  unexpected  appearance 
of  Jack  was  too  much  for  her  overstrained  nerves,  and  she 
utterly  broke  down.  Duval  placed  her  on  a  stone  near  the 
doorway  of  the  shrine,  and,  kneeling  at  her  feet,  strove  to 
calm  her  agitation.  He  was  having  but  ill  success,  when 
Cocom  appeared  in  the  doorway,  and,  seeing  at  a  glance 
what  was  the  matter  with  the  girl,  at  once  produced  one  of 
those  mysterious  medicines  he  constantly  carried  about 
with  him, 


AK   UHEXPECTED   MEETING.  223 

"Let  the  Senorita  drink  of  this,"  he  said,  thrusting  a 
small  bottle  into  Jack's  hand.  "  Cocom  will  watch  at 
the  staircase  that  none  ascend.  But  be  speedy,  Senor. 
Ixtlilxochitli  remains  not  long  away  from  the  opal." 

When  the  Indian  withdrew,  Jack  forced  Dolores  to  take 
some  of  the  drink  prescribed.  The  effect  was  magical,  for 
in  a  few  minutes  her  sobs  ceased,  she  became  composed, 
and  her  eyes  brightened  with  joy  as  she  looked  at  her 
lover.  Jack  was  still  in  his  serge  shooting-suit,  high  boots 
and  all;  while  Dolores,  in  amber  skirt,  lace  mantilla,  and 
dainty  shoes,  looked  as  though  she  were  arrayed  for  a  ball. 
The  Indians  had  evidently  treated  her  with  great  tender- 
ness, and,  save  for  her  haggard  looks,  she  appeared  little 
different  from  what  she  did  at  Tlatonac.  In  their 
European  dresses,  they  were  out  of  keeping  in  that  savage 
house  of  worship.  A  strange  scene,  truly.  The  blood- 
stained deity,  the  fantastic  figures  of  the  gods,  the  twirl- 
ing opal,  flashing  sparks  of  light,  and  at  the  door  these 
most  unhappy  lovers,  oblivious  to  all  save  themselves. 

"Querido!"  sighed  Dolores,  looking  fondly  in  Jack's 
face;  "how  like  an  angel  do  you  appear  to  me.  I  thought 
never  to  see  you  again;  but  now  you  are  here,  arid  I  am 
happy.  Tell  of  the  dear  ones,  Juanito,  of  Eulalia  and 
Rafael.  How  does  my  dear  uncle,  my  aunt?" 

"I  have  not  seen  them  for  over  a  week,  cara,"  replied 
Jack,  kissing  her;  "they  were  much  disturbed  at  your 
disappearance.  We  all  thought  that  you  had  been  carried 
off  to  Acauhtzin,  and  with  Don  Felipe  and  your  brother  I 
went  up  there  to  demand  you  from  the  base  one." 

"  I  know  all  of  this,  mi  amigo,"  said  Dolores,  quickly. 
"Ah!  do  not  look  so  astonished.  Cocom  is  our  friend; 
Cocom  told  me  all — of  Marina  departing  with  Pepe  in 
The  Pizarro,  of  your  journey  to  Acauhtzin,  and  how  you 
were  betrayed  to  the  priests  by  Don  Hypolito." 

"  You  know  my  story,  Dolores,  but  I  do  not  know  yours. 
Tell  me  how  it  was  that  you  were  carried  off.  I  at  first 
suspected  the  Indians,  but  afterward  deemed  Pepe  had 
taken  you  to  Xuarez.  I  suspected  him  wrongly,  it  seems." 

"No,  Juan!"  cried  the  girl,  her  eyes  flashing  with 
anger;  "all  this  misery  was  contrived  by  Don  Hypolito. 
He  told  Ixtlilxochitli  that—" 

"What!"   interrupted  Jack,  in  astonishment;    "does 


224  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

Xuarez  kno*-  the  priest?  Has  he  been  here?  Is  he  a  wor- 
shiper of  that  devil  stone?  " 

"As  to  that  I  am  not  certain,  but  he  has  been  here 
frequently,  and  held  long  conversations  with  Ixtlilxochitli. 
Don  Hypolifco,  you  know,  says  he  is  a  Mestizo.  It  is  false; 
he  is  a  pure  Indian.  His  parents  dwelt  here  as  worshipers 
of  the  old  gods,  and  it  was  in  Totatzine  that  he  was  born. 
Afterward,  when  he  became  a  man,  he  grew  weary  of  this 
buried  city  and  went  forth  to  seek  his  fortune.  He  pros- 
pered, as  you  know,  and  now  says  he  has  Spanish  blood  in 
his  veins,  to  gain  favor  with  my  own  people.  But  his  heart 
is  Indian;  he  is  a  friend  of  Ixtlilxochitli;  he  comes  here 
frequently.  I  said,  querido,  that  I  was  not  certain  that  he 
worshiped  the  devil  stone.  I  am  wrong;  I  think  he  does. 
Through  him  does  that  opal  counsel  war;  and  you  were 
delivered  to  the  priests  to  be  the  victim  of  the  cycle/' 

"And  in  return  for  this  handsome  gift  of  my  life,  what 
does  Don  Hypolito  get?" 

"  Can  you  not  guess?  Ixtlilxochitli,  anxious  to  see  the 
ruler  of  Cholacaca  one  who  is  a  believer  in  the  old  gods, 
has  promised  to  make  the  Indians  fight  for  him.  He  can 
do  this  by  means  of  the  opal's  prophecies.  The  priest 
thinks  that  if  Don  Hypolito  becomes  President,  he  will 
restore  the  worship  of  Huitzilopochtli." 

"Kidiculous!" 

"  It  is  not.  Yet  Ixtlilxochitli,  who  is  a  clever  man,  is 
completely  deceived  by  Don  Hypolito,  and  believes  that 
this  will  be  so." 

"Now  I  see  how  Xuarez  came  to  the  sacred  city,"  said 
Jack,  reflectively;  "  but  you  say  it  was  he  who  carried  you 
off?" 

"  By  means  of  the  Indians,  yes.  Listen,  Juanito!  The 
last  time  Don  Hypolito  was  here,  he  told  Ixtlilxochitli  that 
he  desired  to  marry  me;  also,  that  if  I  was  not  carried  off 
from  Tlatonac,  and  placed  for  safety  in  the  opal  shrine, 
that  I  would  probably  marry  you.  As  you  can  guess,  it 
would  never  do  to  let  the  guardian  of  the  opal  marry  a 
white  man;  so,  as  desired  by  Don  Hypolito,  I  was  decoyed 
from  Tlatonac,  and  carried  to  this  frightful  place." 

"  How  were  you  decoyed?" 

"By  means  of  your  friend,  Don  Pedro." 

"  By  Pedro!  "  cried  Jack,  in  surprise.  "  Why,  what  had 
he  to  do  with  your  kidnaping?" 


AN   UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  225 

"  He  had  nothing  actually  to  dp  with  it.  But  his  name 
was  used  in  this  way.  Listen,  mi  cara;  it  is  the  strangest 
of  tales." 

Jack  nodded  and  settled  himself  to  listen,  whereon  Dona 
Dolores  began  her  story  at  once,  as  every  moment  was 
precious. 

"  When  you  left  me  on  that  day,  Juanito,  I  went  to  the 
cathedral  in  order  to  pray  for  you,  and  to  obtain  from 
Padre  Ignatius  the  holy  relic  for  your  protection.  With 
Marina  did  I  kneel  before  the  shrine  of  the  virgin,  and 
waited  for  the  Padre,  but  he  did  not  appear. " 

"  Nevertheless  he  was  in  the  cathedral  all  the  time, 
waiting  for  you  in  the  sacristy." 

"  That  is  strange,"  observed  Dolores,  in  some  perplexity, 
"  for  I  grew  weary  of  waiting,  and  sent  Marina  to  seek 
Padre  Ignatius  in  the  sacristy.  As  she  did  not  return,  I 
presumed  that  she  could  not  find  him  and  had  perhaps 
gone  to  look  for  him  in  his  own  church. " 

"  She  went  neither  to  sacristy  nor  to  church,"  explained 
Jack,  hastily;  "she  saw  Pepe  at  the  door  of  the  cathedral 
as  she  went  to  seek  the  good  Father,  and  departed  with  the 
zambo.  Then  she  was  afraid  of  being  punished  by  you, 
and  did  not  return  to  the  Casa  Maraquando  until  late, 
when  we  found  you  were  missing.  I  expect  it  was  fear 
that  made  her  run  off  to  Acauhtzin  with  Pepe." 

"  Very  probably;  yes,  Juan,  it  was  as  you  say.  She  did 
not  go  for  the  Padre,  and  he,  waiting  in  the  sacristy, 
expected  me  to  meet  him  there.  I,  on  my  part,  thinking 
Marina  would  return  every  moment,  remained  before  the 
shrine.  Then  I  felt  a  hand  touch  my  shoulder,  and 
turned  round  expecting  to  see  Marina.  It  was  a  dwarf 
Indian,  called  T'ho,  who  gave  me  a  message  from — as  I 
thought — Cocom  and  Don  Pedro." 

"But  it  was  not  Cocom,  really,  who  betrayed  you, 
Dolores?" 

"No,  indeed;  but  through  the  craft  of  Ixtlilxochitli, 
his  name  was  made  use  of  as  a  decoy.  This  Indian,  T'ho, 
did  not  speak,  but  gave  me  an  object  message. " 

"Dios!    What  is  that?" 

"  Do  you  not  know,  Juanito?  and  yet  you  have  dwelt  so 
long  in  Cholacaca.  An  object  message  is  one  the  meaning 
of  which  is  read  by  certain  things  delivered.  For  instance, 
16 


226  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

querido,  in  this  case,  T'ho  gave  me  a  yellow  flower  and 
several  objects  cut  in  bark,  including  an  arrow,  a  pair  of 
spectacles,  and  a  round  piece  colored  red.  Now  can  you 
understand  ?  " 

"The  yellow  flower  meant  Cocom!  Is  that  not  so?  He 
told  me  to-day  his  name  was  from  such  a  flower." 

"  Yes,  that  is  right;  the  spectacles?  " 

"Eh,  Dolores!  The  spectacles!  Oh,  I  know;  Peter 
wears  spectacles." 

"You're  right,  mi  amigo,"  replied  Dolores,  smiling  at 
his  discovery;  "and  the  arrow  was  a  hint  to  be  swift;  the 
rough  piece  of  bark,  colored  scarlet,  showed  that  some  one 
was  wounded." 

"Wait  a  moment,  Dolores,"  interposed  Duval,  hastily; 
"  I  can  read  the  message  now.  It  came  presumably  from 
Cocom,  and  read,  '  Come  quickly,  Don  Pedro  is  wounded."1 

Dolores  clapped  her  hands. 

"  Santissima  Madre!  you  have  guessed  rightly.  That 
was  the  message.  At  once  I  obeyed  it,  for  I  thought  poor 
Don  Pedro  might  be  dying." 

"It  was  kind  of  you,  Dolores,  but  terribly  rash." 

"  I  did  not  know  it  would  be  far  away  from  the  gates, 
and  suspected  no  evil.  Besides,  I  had  been  kind  to  T'ho, 
and  did  not  dream  he  would  betray  me." 

"Which  he  did?" 

"Yes,  base  criminal!  he  did.  I  followed  him  from  the 
church  just  as  the  sun  was  setting.  He  led  me  through 
the  streets  out  of  the  tower  by  the  Puerta  de  la  Culebra. 
No  one  recognized  me,  as  I  veiled  my  face  in  my  mantilla. 
T'ho  guided  me  past  the  chapel  of  Padre  Ignatius  to  the 
open  country." 

"How  rash  of  you!"  ejaculated  Jack,  reproachfully; 
"how  terribly  rash!" 

"Yes,  it  was  rash,  Juanito.  But  do  not  be  angry, 
querido.  I  did  it  for  the  sake  of  Don  Pedro,  whom  I 
thought  was  wounded." 

"Well!  and  what  happened  after  that?"  said  Duval, 
kissing  her,  to  show  he  was  not  cross. 

"Dios!"  replied  Dolores,  tapping  her  mouth  with  her 
closed  fan,  "I  hardly  remember.  I  was  asking  T'ho 
where  lay  the  poor  Senor  Americano,  when  a  cloth  was 
thrown  over  my  head,  and  I  was  borne  swiftly  away. 


AN   UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  227 

With  the  shock  I  suppose  I  must  have  fainted,  for  when  I 
recovered  my  senses  I  found  myself  in  an  open  boat  going 
up  the  coast.  I  tried  to  cry  out,  but  was  so  weak  I  could 
make  no  sound.  Only  Indians  were  in  the  boat,  and  one 
of  them  held  a  cup  of  wine  to  my  lips.  It  was,  I  think, 
drugged,  as  I  then  lost  all  consciousness,  and  awoke  to  find 
myself  in  Totatzine!" 

"  And  all  this  was  planned  by  Don  Hypolito?" 

"Yes,  and,  executed  by  Ixtlilxochitli.  I  have  been 
kindly  treated  since  I  have  been  here,  and  have  a  house 
yonder,  across  the  square,  all  to  myself,  with  attendants. 
The  high  priest  told  me  I  had  been  carried  off  so  that  no 
harm  might  happen  to  me,  as  guardian  of  the  opal,  during 
the  war.  He  also  informed  me  that  it  was  the  desire  of  the 
god  that  I  should  wed  with  Don  Hypolito." 

"Confound  his  impudence!"  muttered  Jack,  in  his 
native  tongue.  "And  what  did  you  reply,  Dolores?" 

"I  said  I  would  never  wed  with  the  traitor  Xuarez; 
that  my  heart  was  given  to  another,  to  Don  Juan,  the 
Americano.  Ixtlilxochitli  was  terribly  angry  when  he 
heard  this,  and  swore  that  never  would  the  guardian  of  the 
opal  be  permitted  to  wed  a  white  man.  'But  I  have  no 
fear/  said  this  base  one,  'for  Don  Hypolito,  the  true  wor- 
shiper of  the  sacred  opal,  will  aid  us  to  secure  this  evil 
Americano,  and  sacrifice  him  to  the  gods." 

"And  Don  Hypolito  succeeded,"  said  Jack,  with  a 
shudder.  "The  wretch!  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to 
seize  me  from  the  moment  I  set  foot  in  Acauhtzin.  Oh, 
if  I  can  only  escape,  how  dearly  will  I  make  him  pay  for 
all  this  treachery." 

At  this  moment  Cocom  darted  in  at  the  door. 

"  Senor,  the  priest  Ixtlilxochitli  is  climbing  the  steps. 
Hide  yourself,  lady.  You  must  not  be  seen  with  my 
lord." 

"Why  not?"  asked  Jack,  as  they  rose  to  their  feet. 

' '  Can  you  ask,  after  what  I  have  told  you  ?  "  whispered 
Dolores,  hurriedly.  "  The  priest  knows  I  love  you,  and  if 
we  were  seen  together  you  would  be  detained  in  prison 
until  the  day  of  the  sacrifice.  Not  even  your  character 
of  a  god  could  save  you  from  that.  Cocom  contrived  our 
meeting  here,  and  the  priests  suspect  nothing.  Trust  to 
Cocom!  He  will  tell  you  our  plans  of  escape.  Adios!  I 
must  hid0'" 


228  THE   HARLEQUIH  OPAL. 

"  When  will  I  see  you  again,  angelito?"  said  Jack,  kiss- 
ing her  hurriedly. 

"  To-morrow  night,  in  the  secret  way.     Adios! " 

She  ran  rapidly  toward  the  shrine,  and  vanished  behind 
the  image  of  the  war-god,  while  Jack  followed  Cocom  out 
on  to  the  vast  platform  of  the  pyramid.  Midway  up  the 
steps  they  saw  the  old  high  priest,  painfully  climbing. 

"  Will  he  not  find  Dona  Dolores  in  there,  Cocom,  and 
thus  guess  \ve  have  met?" 

"  No,  Senor.  He  but  comes  to  see  that  the  sacred  fire 
burns.  That  the  opal  yet  twists  before  the  god.  If  the 
fire  should  go  out,  or  the  opal  stand  still,  great  calamities 
would  befall  the  city.  Only  does  the  opal  pause  when  it 
prophesies." 

"  How  is  it  managed  ?  " 

"  Santissima!  Sefior,  I  know  not.  But  come,  let  us  go 
down.  Ixtlilxochitli  will  just  look  at  the  fire  and  then 
descend,  after  which  the  Dona  Dolores  can  come  down 
and  regain  her  palace  without  being  seen." 

"Is  the  shrine  thus  frequently  left  alone?" 

"Yes,  Senor.  Save  at  festivals,  it  is  deserted.  But  a 
priest  climbs  to  the  temple  every  five  hours,  to  see  that  the 
sacred  fire  burns.  But  see,  Ixtlilxochitli  is  near  us.  Be 
cautious,  my  lord." 

When  Jack  paused  on  his  downward  way,  the  priest 
coming  up  at  once  knelt  on  the  steps  to  show  his  rever- 
ence. 

"Tell  the  old  fool  to  get  up,"  said  Jack,  angrily,  being 
weary  of  such  mummery. 

"My  lord  bids  you  rise,  Ixtlilxochitli!"  translated 
Cocom,  more  politely. 

The  priest  arose,  with  his  hands  folded  across  his  breast, 
and,  with  downcast  eyes,  addressed  Cocom. 

"  Has  my  lord  seen  the  holy  shrine  and  the  thrice 
sacred  Chalchuih  Tlatonac?" 

"Yes;  my  lord  has  been  graciously  pleased  to  look  at 
these  things." 

"It  is  well!  My  lord  should  know  well  the  sacred 
shrine,  so  that  on  the  great  day  he  be  prepared  to  act  his 
part  as  savior  of  the  city  with  dignity." 

" Deuce  take  your  dignity!"  cried  Jack,  in  a  rage,  when 
this  polite  speech  was  translated.  "  I  say,  Cocom,  can  not 


AN"   UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  229 

wo  knock  this  old  reprobate  down  the  steps?  He  wouldn't 
get  up  again  in  a  hurry." 

"Nay,  nay,  Senor!  such  a  course  would  not  be  wise," 
replied  Cocom,  hastily,  thinking  that  Jack  was  about  to 
carry  his  threat  into  execution. 

"  What  says  my  lord?"  asked  Ixtlilxochitli,  blandly. 

"That  he  will  not  keep  you  longer  from  the  sacred 
offices  of  the  god." 

"It  is  well !  See  that  my  lord  has  all  things,  Cocom. 
The  city  is  his,  and  Ave  are  his,  for  on  his  sacrifice  to  the 
holy  gods  does  the  existence  of  Totatzine  depend." 

Cocom  did  not  deem  it  politic  to  translate  this  speech  to 
Jack,  fearing  lest  the  young  man  should  thereupon  carry 
out  his  threat,  and  kick  the  old  priest  down  the  steps. 
Already  he  was  so  exasperated  at  being  perpetually 
reminded  of  his  awful  position,  that  it  would  take  but 
little  more  to  make  him  kill  this  bland,  servile  priest — to 
punish  at  least  one  of  his  enemies  before  he  was  slain  him- 
self. Many  men  would  have  been  paralyzed  by  the  thought 
of  the  sacrificial  stone;  but  peril  only  the  more  firmly 
braced  Jack's  nerves,  and  relying,  as  he  did,  on  Cocom's 
help  and  his  own  energy,  he  was  determined  to  escape 
from  Totatzine  in  some  way  or  other.  The  meeting  with 
Dolores  had  inspired  him  with  fresh  energies;  and,  after 
leaving  Ixtlilxochitli  climbing  the  steps,  he  hurried  Cocom 
to  the  palace  where  he  was  living,  with  the  idea  of  hearing 
what  plan  of  escape  the  Indian  had  conceived. 

Now  that  Duval  had  seen  Dolores,  the  reserve  hitherto 
maintained  by  Cocom  entirely  vanished,  and  he  professed 
himself  eager  to  explain  his  designs.  With  instinctive 
caution,  however,  he  refused  to  converse  in  the  lower 
room,  where  Jack  habitually  slept,  fearing  lest  they  should 
be  overheard.  It  is  true  they  constantly  spoke  the  Spanish 
tongue,  of  which  the  priestly  spies  were  wofully  ignorant; 
but  Ixtlilxochitli  was  quite  crafty  enough  to  employ  a 
coast  Indian  as  an  eavesdropper;  therefore  it  was  wise  to 
put  any  such  possibility  of  betrayal  beyond  all  doubt. 
With  this  intent  they  ascended  to  the  flat  roof  of  the 
palace;  but  even  here  Cocom  felt  doubtful  of  being 
absolutely  safe.  In  the  end  they  climbed  the  mirador, 
the  sole  tower  of  the  palace,  where  it  was  quite  impossible 
that  they  could  be  either  seen  or  heard  from  below. 
15 


230  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

Crouching  on  his  hunkers  below  the  low  wall  of  the  tower 
platform,  Cocora  gravely  took  out  some  cigarettes,  wrapped 
in  maize-husks,  and  presented  them  to  Jack,  who  was 
lying  full  langth  against  the  opposite  parapet.  In  a  few 
minutes  they  were  smoking,  and  talking  earnestly. 

"The  priests,  Senor,"  said  Cocom,  wrapping  his  zarape 
round  his  thin  shoulders,  "  the  priests  say  that  the 
entrance  to  the  secret  way  is  in  the  shrine  itself,  on  the 
summit  of  yonder  teocalli.  That  is  a  lie ! " 

"  Then  where  is  it,  Cocom?" 

"  Three  bridges  are  there  over  the  stream,  Don  Juan. 
The  largest  and  oldest  bridge  is  that  central  one,  which 
leads  straight  to  the  square  of  the  sacrifice.  Senor,  below 
that  bridge  is  the  secret  way!" 

"How do  you  know,  Cocom?  Were  you  not  blindfolded 
when  you  were  brought  here  ?  " 

"Yes,  Senor,  but  I  smelled  water.  The  priests  blind 
the  eyes,  and  close  the  ears,  so  that  the  way  be  not  seen, 
nor  the  voice  of  the  torrent  heard;  but  I,  Senor,  have  come 
by  the  hidden  way  many  times.  It  is  there.  I  examined 
it  secretly  one  night  at  the  peril  of  my  life." 

"And  you  found  out  you  were  correct?"  said  Jack, 
anxiously. 

"Absolutely,  Senor.  Under  the  bridge  the  torrent  has 
worn  a  deep  channel;  at  the  very  bottom  the  path  runs 
eastward,  and  is  concealed  by  a  stone  wall  made  to  look 
like  the  natural  cliff  of  the  stream.  You  go  up  that  path 
which  leads  to  the  foot  of  the  waterfall,  then  along  a 
passage  which  leads  upward  to  the  thickest  part  of  the 
forest.  Leaving  this  passage  you  ascend  steps  which 
lead  to  a  narrow  gorge  cut  in  the  top  of  the  mountain; 
deep,  very  deep,  Senor,  is  the  pass;  no  one  can  see  the  city 
therefrom.  In  the  center  of  the  pass  is  a  circular  space, 
whence  ten  passages,  cut  from  the  solid  rock,  lead  every- 
where. Go  by  eight  of  these  passages,  and  you  fall  over 
cliffs,  for  the  path  ends  abruptly.  They  are  death-traps. 
Of  the  other  two  passages,  one  leads  to  the  sacred  city,  the 
other  to  the  forests  beyond  the  mountains.  In  this 
circular  place  do  the  priests  blindfold  the  worshipers. 
Those  who  go  out  can  reach  that  place,  those  who  come 
in  the  same;  but,  unless  guided,  they  would  go  astray  into 
the  death-traps.  Therefore  are  they  blindfolded  by  the 
priests,  and  led  forward  in  safety," 


AN   UNEXPECTED  MEETING.  231 

'•'  What  a  horrible  idea!"  said  Duval,  shuddering;  "but 
how  am  I  to  know  the  right  passage?" 

"There  is  a  carving  of  the  opal,  throwing  rays,  cut  at 
the  entrance  of  the  passage.  That  is  the  right  one.  Go 
through  that  and  you  come  on  to  a  broad  platform  on  the 
other  side  of  the  mountain.  Steps  lead  down  from  thence 
to  the  valley  into  a  broad  way  built  of  old  by  the  Toltecs. 
This  road  ends  suddenly  in  a  wilderness  of  trees.  Then 
you  guide  yourself  to  the  coast  by  red  marks  on  the  trunks 
of  trees — the  opal,  painted  crimson,  is  the  sign.  Follow 
those,  and  you  come  to  the  seashore." 

"  How  far  is  it  from  here  to  the  seashore? " 

"  Fifty  miles,  Senor." 

"  Fifty  miles!  "  groaned  Jack,  in  dismay.  "  How  ever 
can  Dolores  manage  to  do  that?  And  then  the  perils  from 
incoming  Indians! " 

"  Listen,  Senor.  Oftentimes  the  priests  send  forth  peni- 
tents who  have  on  them  a  vow  of  silence.  I  will  procure 
dresses  for  my  lord  and  Dona  Dolores.  You  will  be  dis- 
guised as  Indians  under  the  vow  of  silence.  Should  you 
meet  any  one,  make  a  sign  thus,  and  they  will  permit  you  to 
pass  without  question.  As  to  the  length  of  the  way,  I  will 
give  you  provisions,  and  you  must  travel  to  the  coast  as 
best  you  can.  It  will  take  many  days;  but  what  of  that? 
You  will  be  free." 

"  Suppose  we  are  pursued?  " 

"No,  Senor;  I  have  a  plan.  Beyond  the  great  wall  of 
the  west  is  the  narrow  path  of  the  canon.  When  you  and 
Dona  Dolores  depart,  I  will  take  your  clothes  through  the 
gate,  which  is  always  open,  and  strew  some  of  them  on  the 
narrow  path.  I  will  let  fall  some  blood  of  an  animal  down 
the  side  of  the  cliff.  Below  rushes  the  torrent,  white  and 
fearful.  When  the  priests  find  out  you  are  gone  they  will 
not  search  the  secret  way,  not  thinking  that  it  is  known  to 
any  one  but  themselves.  No,  Don  Juan,  they  will  go 
beyond  the  wall  to  the  narrow  path,  and  there  they  will 
find  your  clothes  and  those  of  Dona  Dolores.  They  will 
then  think  that  you  have  fallen  into  the  torrent,  and  so  all 
search  will  cease." 

"  That's  a  capital  idea,  Cocom!  Your  ingenuity  is  won- 
derful. But  when  myself  and  Dona  Dolores  come  to  the 
coast  what  will  we  do?  " 


232  THE  HAKLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"Wait  there,  Senor,  in  a  cave  I  will  describe  to  you, 
until  I  come.  I  will  have  to  remain  behind  so  as  to 
avert  suspicion.  Yes;  I  will  tear  my  hair  when  you 
have  gone,  and  say  that  you  have  fled  by  the  way  of  the 
canon;  the  priests  will  search,  and  think  you  have  fallen  into 
the  torrent.  The  next  day  they  will  thrust  me  from  the 
sacred  city  for  not  having  guarded  you  well.  I  will  then 
come  down  to  the  coast,  to  the  cave.  Once  there,  Senor, 
and  we  will  soon  contrive  some  plan  to  get  back  to 
Tlatonac." 

"But  the  priests  might  kill  you,  Cocom!  " 

"Have  no  fear  of  that,  Senor;  I  am  old;  my  sacrifice 
would  not  be  acceptable  to  the  gods.  And  again,  Senor,  I 
have  secrets  of  herbs,  known  only  to  myself,  which  the 
priests  fain  would  learn.  Should  they  threaten  my  life,  I 
will  tell  them  my  secrets,  and  go  free." 

"You  can  never  return  to  Totatzine?" 

"What  matter?"  replied  Cocom,  indifferently.  "I  am 
very  old.  Soon  I  will  die.  When  I  get  again  to  Tlatonac 
I  will  worship  the  Virgin,  and  die  in  my  corner.  Who 
will  care?  The  old  have  no  friends!" 

"You  will  have  a  friend  in  me,  Cocom,"  said  Jack, 
shaking  the  hand  of  the  old  Indian.  "  I  promise  you  that 
neither  myself  nor  Dona  Dolores  will  forget  this  service. 
By  the  way,  when  do  we  make  this  attempt  ?  " 

"  To-morrow  night,  Senor." 

"Bueno!     But  why  to-morrow  night?" 

"At  dawn,  Senor,  to-morrow,  there  will  be  a  sacrifice  to 
the  god,  and  a  man  will  die.  The  priests  will  ask  you  to 
be  present  so  as  to  sanctify  the  ceremony." 

"A  kind  of  rehearsal,  I  suppose,"  said  Jack,  grimly. 
"  Go  on,  Cocom." 

"  Afterward  there  will  be  a  great  festival.  All  day  it 
will  continue,  till  sunset.  It  may  be,"  continued  Cocom, 
artfully,  "  that  the  priests  and  the  people  will  drink  much; 
if  so,  it  will  be  the  better  for  us.  In  any  case,  Don  Juan, 
all  will  be  weary,  and  sleep  well  at  sunset.  Then  I  will 
disguise  you  and  Dona  Dolores  as  Indians  and  lead  you  to 
the  secret  way.  By  dawn  you  will  be  far  down  beyond  the 
mountains.  Travel  all  night,  Seilor,  so  as  to  reach  the  cen- 
tral forests  before  dawn.  For  it  may  be  that  the  priests 
will  look  from  the  platform  down  the  road  of  the  Toltecs, 


AN  UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  233 

and  there  see  you  far  off.  But  this,  I  think,  will  not  be. 
The  whole  city  will  sleep  heavily,  exhausted  by  the  festival; 
and  when  they  waken,  you,  Seiior,  will  have  escaped." 

"  God  grant  this  scheme  may  succeed!"  said  Duval,  ris- 
ing to  his  feet.  "I  can  never  thank  you  sufficiently  for 
this,  Cocorn." 

"  Bueno!  You  are  the  friend  of  Don  Miguel,  who 
saved  my  life.  Be  happy,  Senor;  I  will  not  fail  to  rescue 
you  from  the  stone  of  Huitzilopochtli.  And  now,  Senor 
Juan,  we  must  go  down,  else  will  the  priests  be  suspicious 
of  these  long  talks  between  us." 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  I  would  like  to  do  before  I 
'save  Totatzine,"  remarked  Duval  as  they  went  down  to 
lis  room. 

"And  that,  Senor?" 

"  Is  to  break  the  neck  of  Ixtlilxochitli  by  throwing  him 
down  those  steps." 

Cocom  laughed  softly.  It  was  a  rare  thing  for  this 
melancholy  Indian  to  do,  but  he  did  not  love  Ixtlilxochitli, 
and  the  idea  amused  him  greatly. 

"  Come,"  said  Duval,  tapping  his  friend  on  the  back, 
"  let  us  go  and  take  the  drum.  We  must  drink  success  to 
our  scheme  in  a  flask  of  aguardiente." 


CHAPTER  XX. 


AN   INDIAN   FESTIVAL. 

The  sacred  drums  of  serpents'  skina 
Send  forth  their  muffled  roar  afar; 
Before  the  shrine  the  opal  spins, 
A  changing  star! 

That  flashes  rays  of  rainbow  light 
From  out  its  breast  of  cloudy  white, 
Rebuking  sins 
Which  mar! 

Oh,  see  the  maidens  forward  bound, 

To  swing  and  sway  in  dauces  wild; 

Loose  locks  with  fragrant  chaplets  crowned; 

Their  glances  mild 

Exchanged  for  looks  whose  frantic  fires 

The  sacred  god  himself  inspires, 

Who  thrice  hath  frowned, 

And  smiled. 

The  victim!  see!  the  victim  pure 
Approaches  to  the  stone  to  die; 
But  for  a  space  his  pangs  endure, 
And  then  on  high 

His  soul  mounts  upward  to  the  sun, 
Forever  with  that  orb  to  run, 
Of  pleasure  sure 
For  aye. 

That  evening  Jack  received  an  invitation  from  Ixtlil- 
xochitli  to  be  present  at  dawn  next  morning  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  teocalli  to  take  part  in  a  religious  ceremony  of 
peculiar  solemnity.  The  god  Huitzilopochtli  was  to  be 
asked  if  it  was  his  will  that  the  Indian  tribes  should  array 
their  ranks  in  battle  on  the  side  of  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez? 
Through  the  opal  was  the  answer  to  be  given.  If  it. 
gleamed  red  the  god  desired  war,  if  blue  there  was  to  be 
peace  in  the  land.  Seeing  the  bloodthirsty  character  of  the 
deity,  and  the  secret  understanding  between  his  high 
priest  and  Xuarez,  there  was  but  little  doubt  in  the  mind 
of  Jack  as  to  what  the  answer  would  be.  Still,  as  he  was 

(234) 


Atf  INDIAN   FESTIVAL.  235 

anxious  to  know  how  the  prophecies  were  given,  and  not 
averse  to  seeing  a  unique  religious  ceremony,  he  accepted 
the  invitation  of  Ixtlilxochitli  with  avidity. 

For  many  days  messages  had  been  sent  far  and  wide, 
calling  on  the  Indians  to  repair  to  the  sacred  city  and 
assist  at  the  festival.  The  town  was  filled  to  overflowing, 
and  all  the  caravansaries  in  the  square  of  the  sacrifice  were 
crowded.  Owing  to  the  depth  of  the  valley,  the  ceremony 
could  not  take  place  precisely  at  dawn,  as  it  was  some  time 
before  the  sun  rose  above  the  peaks  of  the  surrounding 
mountains.  His  presence  was  indispensable  to  the  cere- 
mony, as  the  heart  of  the  victim  had  to  be  held  up  by  the 
officiating  priest  for  the  benediction  of  his  rays.  Jack 
rather  shrank  from  witnessing  this  horrible  rite,  particu- 
larly as,  unless  he  succeeded  in  effecting  his  escape,  he 
would  probably  be  forced  to  take  part  in  the  same  function; 
but  curiosity  triumphed  over  repugnance,  and  he  looked 
forward  eagerly  to  beholding  this  extraordinary  spectacle. 

In  the  gray  light  of  dawn  he  was  awakened  by  the 
thunder  of  the  serpent-skin  drums,  which  for  some  hours 
roared  continuously.  Springing  out  of  bed,  he  hastily  put 
on  his  clothes,  and  had  just  finished  dressing  when  Cocom 
entered  the  room.  The  old  Indian  was  arrayed  in  white 
cotton  garments,  with  a  chaplet  of  flowers  on  his  gray 
locks.  He  had  another  wreath,  of  red  blossoms,  which  he 
held  out  for  Jack's  acceptance;  an  offer  which  that  young 
man  promptly  refused.  Red  was  the  emblem  of  a  dedi- 
cated victim,  and  Jack,  knowing  this,  objected  to  being 
thus  distinguished. 

"  Carrajo!  No,  mi  amigo,"  he  said,  vigorously,  "I  am 
not  going  to  be  decked  out  as  a  victim  yet." 

''Ixtlilxochitli  will  be  angry,  Senor." 

"  He  can  be  as  angry  as  the  devil,  for  all  I  care.  I  don't 
intend  taking  any  part  in  this  infernal  idol  worship. 
Don't  they  look  on  me  as  a  god,  Cocom?" 

li  Yes,  my  lord;  you  are  supposed  to  be  the  visible  rep- 
resentative of  Tezcatlipoca,  the  soul  of  the  universe." 

"Bueno!  "Well,  the  soul  of  the  universe  is  going  to 
have  his  own  way.  What  is  the  use  of  being  Tez-what's- 
his-name  if  you  can't  do  as  you  please?  Besides,  I 
wear  European  clothes,  and  wreaths  don't  go  with  this 
rig-out/' 


236  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  As  you  please,  Don  Juan.  Still,  it  is  not  wise  to  anger 
the  priests." 

"Fll  take  the  risk,  Cocom.     By  the  way,  I  trust  Dona 
Dolores  will  not  be  present  at  this  butchery  to-day." 
•  No,  Senor;  she  intends  to  sleep  many  hours." 
'  Poor  girl,  she  needs  rest,  seeing  we  shall  be  walking 
all  night.     I  will  rest  this  afternoon  myself,  Cocom." 
'  It  would  be  wise,  Senor." 
'  You  have  everything  prepared?  " 
'  Assuredly,  Senor.     You  will  find  nothing  wanting." 

"  Bueno!     Now  let  us  go  to  the  teocalli." 

The  immense  area  of  the  square  of  sacrifice  was  densely 
packed  with  Indians,  mostly  men,  as  the  ceremonies  of  the 
war-god  were  pre-eminently  of  a  masculine  character.  A 
few  women  were  to  be  seen;  but  as  a  rule  they  preferred 
the  gentler  worship  of  Tezcatlipoca,  and  left  the  fierce 
adoration  of  Huitzilopochtli  to  the  rulers  and  warriors. 
These  pilgrims  were  one  and  all  arrayed  in  white  cotton 
robes  similar  to  that  of  Cocom,  and,  like  him,  bore  wreaths 
of  flowers  on  their  locks.  Many  of  the  most  opulent  were 
draped  in  mantles  of  gorgeous  feather- work,  and  adorned 
their  persons  with  collars,  ear-rings,  girdles,  and  bracelets 
of  gold  set  with  rough  gems.  The  summit  of  the  teocalli 
was  unoccupied,  as  the  priests  in  their  sable  vestments 
were  waiting  for  the  victim  at  the  foot  of  the  great  stair- 
case. A  constant  thunder  of  drums  and  shrilling  of  dis- 
cordant trumpets  added  to  the  wild  character  of  the 
scene. 

Jack  had  no  sooner  made  his  appearance  than  the  multi- 
tude, recognizing  the  sacred  victim  of  the  cycle,  parted  to 
let  him  pass  through.  An  immense  wave  of  movement 
swept  across  this  sea  of  white  garments,  and  all  flung 
themselves  on  their  faces,  not  even  daring  to  look  at  the 
august  presence  of  the  incarnate  deity.  Attended  by 
Cocom,  Jack  passed  up  the  avenue  opened  by  religious 
awe  in  this  living  mass,  and  ultimately  gained  the  steps  of 
the  teocalli.  Here  they  saw  Ixtlilxochitli,  who  waved  his 
hand  to  intimate  that  they  had  better  ascend  the  staircase; 
which  they  did,  without  further  remark. 

Seated  on  the  parapet  surrounding  the  platform  of  the 
pyramid,  Jack  looked  down  on  the  throng  of  people  whose 
dark  faces  were  turned  upward  to  the  shrine  of  the  opal, 


AN  IXVIA.X  FESTIVAL.  237 

and  shuddered  involuntarily  as  he  thought  of  the  fanati- 
cism which  had  drawn  this  concourse  together.  Devoutly 
did  he  pray  that  Cocom's  scheme  might  be  successful,  as  it 
was  terrible  to  think  that  in  the  presence  of  such  savages 
he  should  be  slaughtered  by  those  wild-looking  priests. 
i  The  morning  was  slightly  chilly,  as  the  valley  was  yet  in 
the  shadow;  but  beyond  the  rim  of  the  mountains  Jack 
could  see  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun  shooting  up  in  the 
roseate  sky.  He  trembled  and  held  his  breath  as  a  single 
trumpet  bellowed  below,  and  leaning  over  the  parapet  saw 
that  the  procession  of  priests  was  now  escorting  the  victim 
up  the  staircase.  Cocom  manifested  no  emotion;  he  was 
but  half  civilized,  after  all,  and  the  horror  of  the  coming 
deed  did  not  strike  him  as  particularly  awful.  Men  must 
die  sometime,  was  Cocom's  philosophic  view  of  the  matter; 
and  as  well  might  death  take  place  on  the  sacrificial  stone 
as  in  any  other  way.  Jack  felt  his  flesh  creep  at  the  idea 
of  what  he  would  soon  behold;  but  Cocom,  with  folded 
arms,  stood  like  a  statue  of  bronze,  silent,  indifferent, 
unmoved. 

Up  the  staircase  climbed  that  ghastly  procession.  The 
victim,  a  handsome  young  Indian,  tall  and  slender,  seemed 
indifferent  to  his  fate,  and  bore  his  part  in  the  ceremony 
Avith  becoming  dignity.  As  he  ascended  tbe  height,  one 
by  one  he  threw  away  his  ornaments  and  rich  robes.  His 
chaplet  of  flowers,  his  bracelets,  ear-rings,  girdles,  his  man- 
tle of  feather-work,  his  cotton  robe  of  white,  they  were  all 
strewed  on  the  steps  like  wreckage,  and  when  he  arrived 
at  the  summit  of  the  teocalli  he  was  completely  naked. 
With  his  splendid  muscular  development,  his  immobile 
face,  his  absolute  repose,  standing  nude  by  the  jasper  stone 
of  sacrifice,  he  looked  like  a  magnificent  bronze  statue, 
and  Jack  could  not  but  admire  the  stoical  resignation  with 
which  he  met  his  death.  Ixtlilxochitli  vanished  through 
the  open  door  of  the  shrine,  and  the  sable-clad  priests, 
looking  like  demons  in  their  religious  frenzy,  held  up  their 
arms  to  the  east.  A  wild,  barbaric  chant  flowed  from 
their  mouths,  weird  and  ear-piercing,  rising  and  falling 
like  the  waves  of  the  sea.  They  chanted  long  lines  of 
invocation  to  the  sun,  and  were  answered  by  a  confused 
roar  from  the  multitude  below.  So  fierce,  so  savage  was 
the  music,  that  Jack  shuddered  and  closed  his  eyes  with 
horror.  The  victim  made  no  sign. 


238  THE   HABLEQUIN   OPAL. 

Then  the  high  priest,  clad  in  scarlet  robes,  and  holding 
a  knife  of  itzli  in  his  hand,  came  forth  from  the  presence 
of  the  god,  and  made  a  sign  to  the  officiating  priests.  The 
rim  of  the  sun  was  just  seen  above  the  heights  when  five 
priests  darted  forward,  and  seizing  the  impassive  victim 
flung  him  on  the  altar  stone.  An  appealing  cry  to  Huitzi- 
lopochtli  arose  from  the  worshipers,  the  drums  rolled,  the 
trumpets  bellowed,  and  Ixtlilxochitli,  rapidly  opening  the 
breast  of  the  young  man,  tore  out  his  heart.  The  multi- 
tude prostrated  themselves  humbly,  an  immense  sigh 
exhaled  from  a  thousand  breasts  upward,  and  after  holding 
the  bleeding  heart  to  the  sun,  now  full  in  sight,  the  high 
priest  flung  it  at  the  feet  of  the  idol.  Jack  felt  sick  with 
horror  at  the  consummation  of  this  tragedy,  and  closed  his 
eyes  for  a  moment.  When  he  opened  them  again  the 
dead  body  of  the  victim  was  rolling  down  the  steps  of  the 
teocalli  to  plunge  into  the  sea  of  white  boiling  in  the 
square. 

" Horrible \"  he  muttered  to  Cocom;  " these  priests  are 
devils." 

"Hush,  Senor!"  replied  the  Indian,  in  a  low  voice;  "be 
cautious.  Now  they  consult  the  opal/' 

Wiping  the  perspiration  from  his  forehead,  Duval,  lean- 
ing on  the  arm  of  Cocom,  entered  the  shrine,  which  was 
crowded  with  priests.  They  all  made  way  for  him  respect- 
fully, and  as  the  great  drum  outside  commenced  to  rollout 
its  thunder,  knelt  in  the  presence  of  the  deity.  Even 
Cocom  knelt  before  the  god,  and  Jack  was  the  only  one 
standing.  A  small  fire  of  coals  burned  on  the  altar,  and 
thereon  Ixtlilxochitli  flung  priceless  gums,  storax,  copal, 
and  odorous  resins.  A  rich  perfume  spread  through  the 
temple  and  a  thick  cloud  of  white  smoke  rolled  upward, 
veiling  the  hideous  face  of  the  war-god,  hiding  the  now 
rapidly  revolving  opal.  A  chant  arose,  sad  and  melancholy 
as  the  sweeping  of  the  wind  through  trees,  supplicating 
and  sorrowful — an  appeal  to  the  terrible  deity  who  had 
been  thus  propitiated  with  blood,  with  the  heart  of  a  man. 

A  thin  shaft  of  sunlight,  entering  the  temple  through 
some  unseen  opening,  smote  the  great  gem  with  fierce  fire, 
causing  it  to  glitter  with  blinding  splendor.  Every  eye 
was  fixed  on  the  opal,  which  continued  spinning  inces- 
santly, darting  its  rays  of  red  and  blue  and  yellow  and 


AN  INDIAN   FESTIVAL.  239 

green.  Jack,  at  a  glance,  saw  how  the  miracle  was  done. 
The  priests  cunningly  twisted  the  gold  string  attached  to 
the  roof,  and  as  it  slowly  unwound  itself  the  great  gem 
revolved.  Whether  they  left  the  color  it  was  to  show,  when 
still,  to  chance,  Jack  did  not  know,  but  they  must  have  had 
some  trick  to  make  it  pause  when  they  chose,  for  he  felt 
certain  the  red  side  of  the  stone  would  ultimately  reveal 
itself.  In  the  semi-darkness  he  kept  his  gaze  on  the  jewel 
twirling  in  the  yellow  glare,  and  heard,  as  in  a  dream,  the 
roar  of  the  throng  far  below  waiting  the  announcement  of 
the  god's  will.  The  teocalli  was  as  an  island  in  the  midst  of 
a  sea,  and  against  its  huge  base  these  living  waves  beat 
without  intermission. 

At  first  the  opal  spun  rapidly,  throwing  out  sparks  of 
colored  fire,  then  it  gradually  slowed  down  as  the  string 
unwound  itself.  Slower  and  slower  it  twisted,  sparkling  a 
ray  of  emerald  green,  a  dazzling  shaft  of  blue,  or  a  glory  of 
golden  haze.  At  last  the  motion  was  hardly  perceptible, 
and  the  worshipers  held  their  breaths  in  reverential  awe. 
It  moved  slightly,  it  paused,  it  began  to  revolve  slowly 
backward,  and  then,  with  a  slow  oscillation,  hung  motion- 
less from  the  roof.  From  out  its  white  breast  shot  a  fierce 
glare  of  violent  crimson.  The  will  of  the  god  was  war! 

Amid  a  dead  silence  Ixtlilxochitli  stalked  forth  to  the 
verge  of  the  staircase,  now  wearing  only  his  dark  garments, 
and  held  up  his  scarlet  mantle  as  a  sign  that  the  opal  was 
red.  A  frantic  shout  of  delight  roared  upward  to  the  sky, 
and  the  multitude  below  broke  into  a  frenzy  of  joy.  The 
religious  ceremonies  were  at  an  end;  the  festival  had  com- 
menced. 

"Por  el  amor  de  Dios,  let  me  go  back  to  my  room/' 
whispered  Jack,  in  the  ear  of  Cocom.  "  If  I  stay  here  I 
will  assuredly  smash  that  idol  and  kick  old  Ixtlilxochitli 
down  the  steps." 

Unwilling  to  risk  such  a  scandal,  Cocom  hurried  his 
charge  out  of  the  temple  at  once.  Ixtlilxochitli  came 
forward  as  Jack  departed,  evidently  expecting  to  be  con- 
gratulated on  a  successful  performance,  but  the  young 
engineer,  with  a  gesture  of  repugnance,  turned  his  back 
on  the  old  villain,  and  sprang  down  the  steps  of  the 
teocalli.  The  high  priest  looked  grave.  This  dissatisfac- 
tion of  the  visible  deity  was  a  bad  omen. 


240  THE   HAKLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"This  place  is  a  hell  upon  earth,"  cried  Jack,  throwing 
himself  down  on  his  couch.  "  How  many  victims  do  they 
sacrifice  to  that  infernal  deity,  Cocom?" 

The  old  man  counted  on  his  fingers. 

"  Senor,  about  one  hundred  in  a  year,  more  or  less." 

"How  terrible!" 

"Yes,  Don  Juan.  More  were  offered  up  in  the  old 
days.  It  is  said  by  the  priests  that  at  the  dedication  of  the 
great  teocalli  in  Mexico  seventy  thousand  victims  were 
offered  to  Huitzilopochtli." 

"Butchery!  I  tell  you  what,  Cocom,  if  I  get  safely 
back,  and  this  war  is  concluded  in  favor  of  the  Junta,  1 
will  get  Don  Francisco  Gomez  to  send  an  army  to  stop 
this  sort  of  thing." 

Cocom  smiled  scornfully. 

"Nay,  Senor;  no  army  could  reach  the  city  of  Totat- 
zine.  It  is  hidden,  and  the  secret  way  is  but  narrow,  as 
you  will  see.  Besides,  Don  Juan,  I  would  not  aid  an  army 
to  come  hither.  The  city  is  sacred." 

"  But  you  do  not  believe  in  this  devil  worship?" 

"No,  Sefior.  Still,  it  was  the  religion  of  my  fathers.  I 
do  not  wish  it  destroyed." 

Jack  saw  that  his  proposition  was  distasteful  to  the  old 
Indian,  so  did  not  make  further  remark,  fearful  of  raising 
anger  in  Cocom's  breast.  If  this  one  friend  refused  to 
assist  them,  neither  himself  nor  Dolores  could  hope  to 
escape.  Therefore  Jack  was  wise,  and  held  his  peace. 
Shortly  afterward  he  intimated  his  desire  to  sleep,  in  order 
to  prepare  for  the  fatigue  of  the  midnight  journey,  so 
Cocom  left  him,  and  departed  to  make  all  arrangements 
for  the  escape. 

All  day  long  the  festival  continued.  Even  through  the 
massive  walls  of  his  room  Jack  could  hear  the  shrieks  and 
yells  of  the  worshipers  as  they  maddened  themselves  with 
pulque  and  aguardiente.  Once  he  had  the  curiosity  to 
ascend  to  the  fiat  roof  and  look  down  on  the  square.  It 
was  filled  with  a  mass  of  frenzied  human  beings,  who 
danced  and  sang  and  bellowed  wildly.  Some  cut  them- 
selves with  knives;  others,  climbing  up  to  the  summit  of 
the  teocalli,  flung  themselves  headlong  down  the  staircase. 
Great  fires  were  lighted  in  the  square,  and  rings  of 
Indians,  men  and  women,  danced  round  them,  singing 


AN   INDIAN   FESTIVAL.  241 

frantically.  Everywhere  the  priests,  long-haired,  sable- 
robed,  inciting  worshipers  to  fresh  frenzies;  constantly 
the  wild  piping  of  barbaric  music,  the  rumble  of  drums. 
It  was  a  horrible  sight,  this  madness  of  the  multitude,  and 
after  a  glance  or  so  Jack  descended  to  his  bedroom  to 
think  over  the  future. 

He  was  anxious  to  regain  Tlatonac  and  see  his  friends 
once  more.  Philip  and  Peter  and  Tim  would  be  grieving 
for  his  loss;  but  they,  no  doubt,  thought  that  he  was  at 
Acuahtzin  and  not  pent  up  in  this  city  of  devildom.  Jack 
knew  well  that  Philip  would  never  have  turned  The  Bohe- 
mian's nose  south  unless  he  had  been  compelled  to  do  so. 
Against  the  heavy  guns  of  ships  and  forts  the  bravest  men 
could  do  nothing,  and  the  yacht  had  been  forced  to 
retreat.  Doubtless  Philip  had  steamed  direct  to  Tlatonac, 
and  insisted  on  an  army  being  sent  to  Acauhtzin  to  release 
his  friend  and  Dolores.  But  this  could  not  be,  as  Jack 
felt  sure  there  were  no  transports  to  take  the  soldiers  north- 
ward by  sea,  and  the  inland  route  was  impossible. 

How  had  the  war  gone?  Had  the  torpederas  arrived? 
or  had  Don  Hypolito  sent  the  war-ships  filled  with  soldiers 
southward  to  attack  Jan j alia,  and  from  thence  force  his 
way  overland  to  the  capital ?  The  campaign  would  prob- 
ably be  conducted  as  theorized  by  Don  Kafael.  Xuarez 
would  first  capture  Janjalla,  march  his  troops  northward 
across  the  plains  to  effect  a  conjunction  with  the  Indians 
before  the  walls  of  Tlatonac,  and  then  bring  his  war-ships 
up  to  the  capital.  In  this  way  the  city  would  be  assaulted 
on  both  sides — bombarded  by  the  war-ships,  and  stormed 
by  the  regular  troops  of  the  Oposidores  and  the  Indian 
tribes. 

"I  must  escape,"  thought  Duval,  as  he  restlessly  tossed 
and  turned  on  his  couch.  "  This  last  order  of  the  opal 
will  send  an  Indian  army  to  the  walls  of  Tlatonac.  I  know 
all  or  most  of  the  plans  of  Xuarez,  and  when  I  tell  them 
to  Don  Francisco  he  may  be  able  to  thwart  them.  It  is 
now  two  weeks  since  I  was  taken  by  that  infernal  Don 
Hypolito,  and  we  can  not  regain  Tlatonac  for  at  least 
another  five  or  six  days,  if  indeed  then.  Three  weeks  is 
a  long  time,  and  many  events  may  have  happened.  1  hope 
those  fellows  are  all  right.  Once  I  get  back,  we  will 
manage  to  baffle  Xuarez  in  some  way/' 
16 


242  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

These  thoughts  were  not  conducive  to  slumber,  but  dur- 
ing the  afternoon  he  managed  to  obtain  a  few  hours  of 
sleep.  The  herbal  medicines  of  Cocom  had  completely 
restored  him  to  health,  and  he  now  felt  strong  enough  to 
undergo  the  hardships  of  the  journey  to  the  coast. 
Dolores,  however,  was  delicate,  and  Jack  dreaded  to  think 
how  she  would  suffer.  Still,  it  was  a  case  of  life  or  death, 
so  it  was  best  to  make  the  attempt.  Anything  was  better 
than  the  certainty  of  a  horrible  death  for  one,  constant 
imprisonment  for  the  other.  At  whatever  cost,  they  must 
escape. 

"  It's  a  case  of  Pike's  Peak  or  bust,"  said  Jack,  recall- 
ing the  favorite  expression  of  an  American  comrade.  "I 
hope  to  the  Lord  we  won't  bust,  this  trip." 

Toward  sunset  Cocom  came  to  wake  him  for  the  great 
attempt.  He  brought  a  very  gratifying  report  as  to  the 
state  of  the  population,  who  were  all  either  drunk  or  worn 
out  with  religious  frenzy.  The  priests  were  scarcely 
better,  and  in  three  hours  not  a  soul  in  the  sacred  city 
would  be  capable  of  observation  or  movement.  It  is  true 
that  in  the  commercial  half  of  the  town,  across  the  torrent, 
many  people  might  be  on  the  alert;  but  fortunately  the 
entrance  to  the  secret  way  was  on  the  sacrificial  side  of  the 
bridge,  so  that  the  two  lovers  could  escape  unseen.  Jack 
was  delighted  to  hear  that  things  promised  so  well,  and 
proceeded,  under  the  supervision  of  Cocom,  to  disguise 
himself  as  an  Indian. 

It  was  not  a  particularly  agreeable  task,  for  he  had  to 
strip  to  the  buff,  and  sponge  himself  from  head  to  foot 
with  a  liquid  so  as  to  darken  his  skin.  He  was  also  forced 
to  sacrifice  his  mustache,  as  the  Central  American  Indi- 
ans have  no  hair  on  their  faces.  Jack  sorely  rebelled 
against  this  demand,  but,  recognizing  that  there  was  no 
help  for  it,  he  shaved  himself  clean  as  directed,  stained 
his  face,  dyed  his  hair,  and  at  length  stood  out  a  very  ath- 
letic young  Indian.  Being  thus  physically  perfect,  he 
assumed  sandals  of  hide,  short  white  cotton  drawers,  a 
loose  cotton  shirt,  an  ample  scarlet  woolen  mantle,  and  a 
crown  of  peacocks'  feathers.  Cocom  also  adorned  him 
with  a  plenitude  of  bracelets  and  jingling  ornaments. 
Thus  arrayed,  Jack  was  supposed  to  bo  a  penitent  under  a 
vow  of  silence,  traveling  to  the  coast  with  his  sister. 


Atf   INDIAN"   FESTIVAL.  243 

"  I  hope,  Cocom,  there  won't  be  any  rain,"  he  said,  as 
he  followed  the  Indian  out  of  the  room;  "it  might  wash 
the  dye  off." 

"No  fear!  no  rain!"  replied  the  Indian,  confidently; 
"the  staining  will  hold,  Senor.  Now,  not  a  word!  It  is 
dangerous." 

So  long  had  the  perfecting  of  the  disguise  taken  that  it 
was  now  considerably  after  eight  o'clock,  and  the  moon 
was  shining  brilliantly  in  the  sky.  Guided  by  the  old  man, 
Jack  stepped  lightly  across  the  square,  which  was  cum- 
bered with  human  bodies  in  all  kinds  of  positions.  Some 
sleeping  heavily  from  exhaustion,  others  from  intoxication, 
the  whole  of  the  immense  area  looked  like  a  battle-field 
strewn  with  dead  men.  In  the  midst  arose  the  huge 
mound  of  the  teocalli,  menacing,  formidable.  Not  a  sound 
broke  the  stillness,  save  the  sigh  of  some  sleeper,  or  the 
restless  turning  of  another.  Under  the  clear  sky  lay  the 
field  of  the  dead,  and  as  Jack  stepped  gently  across  the 
prostrate  bodies  he  could  not  help  shuddering. 

Remembering  Cocom's  caution,  however,  he  uttered  no 
sound,  but  followed  the  Indian  toward  the  bridge.  Here, 
in  the  shadow  of  the  wall,  they  found  Dolores,  stained  as 
was  her  lover,  and  fantastically  tricked  out  in  savage 
finery.  When  she  saw  Jack's  tall  form  with  the  nodding 
plumes  on  his  head,  she  could  not  restrain  an  exclamation 
of  surprise,  but  in  another  moment  was  clasped  in  his 
arms. 

"Peace,  dear  one,"  whispered  Jack,  fondly  kissing  her; 
"  keep  your  heart  brave.  We  must  not  wait  a  moment. 
Alas!  querida,  I  feel  doubtful  that  you  will  bear  the 
fatigues  of  the  mountains." 

"Fear  not,  Juanito!"  she  answered,  hastily  drying  her 
tears;  "the  Virgin  will  sustain  and  protect  us  in  the  wil- 
derness. With  thee  by  my  side,  I  have  no  fear." 

Cocom,  impatient  of  this  delay,  made  a  clucking  noise 
with  his  tongue,  so  they  at  once  sprang  toward  him.  He 
guided  them  a  little  distance  past  the  bridge  toward  the 
left,  and  paused  before  a  high  wall,  pierced  by  a  dozen  or 
more  gateways  with  massive  doors  grotesquely  carved.  By 
some  trick,  known  only  to  himself,  the  old  man  opened 
the  valves  of  one  door,  and  motioned  them  to  enter.  On 
doing  so  they  found  themselves  in  an  immense  oblong 


244  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

court-yard,  decorated  round  the  walls  with  nothing  but 
huge  statues  of  the  god  Huitzilopochtli.  Cocom  had 
closed  the  outside  door,  and,  standing  in  the  open  court, 
the  fugitives  could  see  no  mode  of  ingress  or  egress. 
The  moon  shining  brightly  made  all  things  as  clear  as  day, 
and  all  around,  at  intervals  of  a  yard,  arose  the  mighty 
images,  between  which  was  but  smooth  wall.  It  was  a 
trap  out  of  which  no  one  could  hope  to  emerge. 

"The  worshipers,  Senor,"  explained  Cocom,  in  a  low 
voice,  "are  admitted  into  this  court  from  the  secret  way 
on  the  right.  When  the  court  is  full  their  bandages  are 
removed,  and  no  one  can  tell  how  he  entered  or  how  he 
can  go  out.  This  confuses  all,  and  then  the  bandages  are 
replaced,  and  they  are  thrust  out  of  those  many  doors  on 
to  the  street,  and  guided  to  the  great  square.  When  they 
see,  they  behold  but  the  great  teocalli,  and  can  not  tell  the 
way  in  which  they  came.  Neither  can  the  dwellers  in 
Totatzine,  for  none  are  admitted  to  this  court." 

"And  the  secret  way?"  asked  Jack,  anxiously. 

"Is  behind  one  of  those  statues,  Senor." 

Both  Jack  and  Dolores  looked  blankly  at  the  long  line 
of  hideous  images  against  the  opposite  wall.  One  statue 
was  as  like  the  other  as  two  peas,  and  it  was  absolutely 
impossible  to  tell  which  one  concealed  the  entrance.  Jack 
turned  to  Cocom,  and  shook  his  head. 

"  If  my  life  depended  on  it,  I  could  not  tell." 

"  Eh,  Senor,  your  life  does  depend  on  it,"  said  Cocom, 
grimly,  enjoying  his  little  joke.  "  Behold ! " 

He  walked  slowly  forward,  and  to  all  appearance  chose 
a  statue  at  random.  Touching  a  spring  in  the  protuberant 
stomach  of  the  idol,  the  massive  image  swung  outward, 
revealing  a  dark  passage.  The  two  lovers  ran  forward, 
but  were  stopped  by  Cocom. 

"  That  passage,  Senor,  ends  with  a  precipice,"  he  said, 
with  emphasis;  "  if  you  went  down  there  you  would  fall 
into  the  torrent." 

"  A  misleading  way,"  said  Duval,  shrinking  back  with 
a  shudder  at  the  horrible  imagination  of  the  idea.  "  Are 
there  others?" 

"  This,  and  this,  and  this,"  replied  Cocom,  causing  sev- 
eral statues  to  swing  out  of  their  places;  "  all  passages, 
you  see,  Don  Juan;  all  snares  for  the  unwary.  Let  me 


Aff  INDIAH  FESTIVAL.  245 

¥at  the  images  back  again.  So!  Now,  Senor,  observe, 
his  image  of  Huitzilopochtli  has  a  representation  of  the 
opal  in  its  forehead.  That  is  the  mark  of  the  way 
throughout.  See ! " 

The  statue  swung  round,  and  Cocom,  stepping  boldly 
into  the  yawning  cavity  disclosed,  beckoned  to  them  to  fol- 
low. With  the  terrified  Dolores  on  his  arm,  Jack  did  so, 
and  they  found  themselves  at  the  top  of  a  flight  of  damp- 
looking  steps.  Once  inside,  and  Cocom,  pressing  the 
spring,  restored  the  image  to  its  proper  position;  then, 
taking  Jack's  hand,  led  him  down  the  staircase.  Clasping 
Dolores  tightly  he  cautiously  descended  into  the  pitchy 
gloom.  They  seemed  to  be  proceeding  into  the  bowels  of 
the  earth.  Down,  and  down,  and  still  down,  until  the 
hoarse  roar  of  the  torrent  struck  their  ears,  and,  emerging 
into  a  darkness  little  less  dense  than  that  in  the  passage, 
they  found  themselves  on  a  rocky  ledge  below  the  huge 
structure  of  the  bridge,  almost  on  a  level  with  the  water. 
At  their  feet  swirled  and  foamed  the  flood,  raging  over 
sharp-pointed  rocks.  To  the  right  a  path  led  upward  in  a 
gentle  slope;  to  the  left  a  similar  path  descended.  Cocom 
pointed  to  this  latter. 

"  Another  trap,  Senor,"  he  said,  grimly,  "  ending  in  the 
cafion.  Take  that  path,  and  you  would  die.  Follow  this 
one  to  the  right,  and  it  will  lead  you  to  the  great  platform 
beyond  the  mountains.  From  thence  you  can  descend  by 
the  great  way,  and  when  in  the  forest  track  your  path  by 
the  scarlet  sign  of  the  opal.  Always  the  opal,  Senor.  Go 
nowhere  but  where  that  sign  points." 

"  I  will  remember,"  replied  Jack,  confidently. 

"Take  this  wallet,  Senor.  It  contains  food  for  some 
days,  and  cacao-leaves,  and  strong  drink.  It  will  last  until 
you  reach  the  cave  whereof  I  told  you.  Wait  there  for  me, 
and  I  will  come  shortly.  Remember  always  the  rule  of 
silence — that  you  are  both  penitents;  tho  sign  thus — lip 
and  forehead.  Now  go,  Senor.  I  depart  to  scatter  your 
clothes  on  the  narrow  way,  and  spread  a  false  report  of  your 
death  in  the  torrent  while  escaping.  In  four  days,  Senor, 
expect  me  at  the  cave.  Adios,  lady  of  the  precious  stone; 
and  you,  Senor.  Vaya  Ku  con  Dios." 

He  sprang  backward  into  the  darkness  up  the  stair,  and 
left  the  lovers  standing  in  that  gloomy  inferno,  with  the 

16 


246  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

torrent  roaring  below,  the  huge  masonry  of  the  bridge  high 
above,  and  to  the  right  that  perilous  way  which  they 
must  tread  to  reach  safety.  Duval  expected  Dolores  to 
give  way  at  thus  finding  herself  in  such  danger,  but,  to  his 
surprise,  she  was  brave  and  gay  and  strong. 

"Come,  querido,"  she  said,  cheerfully,  "let  us  go  at 
once.  We  must  reach  the  forests  before  dawn,  if  possi- 
ble." 

"It  will  exhaust  you  terribly,  angelito!" 

"  Probably.  Still,  I  must  keep  up,  if  only  for  your  sake! 
Come,  querido,  let  us  depart." 

They  moved  simultaneously  toward  the  right. 

Oh,  that  interminable  passage,  long  and  narrow,  and 
always  ascending.  They  thought  it  would  never  end ;  but 
at  length  it  terminated  at  the  foot  of  the  waterfall.  Down 
from  a  great  height  thundered  great  masses  of  water, 
smashing  to  foam  in  the  basin  below.  The  spray,  rising 
fine  and  mistlike,  was  damp  on  their  faces.  They  could 
not  hear  themselves  speak,  owing  to  the  roar.  Jack 
grasped  the  hand  of  Dolores  to  give  her  courage,  and 
turned  off  abruptly  to  the  right,  where  they  entered  a  pas- 
sage cut  out  of  the  solid  rock.  Still  gently  sloping  upward, 
the  path  led  them  out  into  a  vast  clearing,  girdled  on  all 
sides  by  great  trees.  The  moon  shone  bright  as  day,  and 
across  the  grass  ran  an  indistinct  track.  Following  this, 
they  found  a  great  flight  of  steps  leading  upward  under 
the  boughs  of  mighty  trees,  pine  and  oak  and  hemlock, 
throwing  their  giant  branches  across,  and  almost  shutting 
out  the  moonlit  sky.  The  staircase  was  crumbled  and 
old,  but  wonderfully  built  of  great  blocks  of  stone.  Jack 
could  not  restrain  his  admiration  at  this  Titanic  work. 

"  How  did  they  do  it?"  he  said  to  Dolores,  as  they  pain- 
fully climbed  up  the  superb  stair;  "they  must  have  known 
a  lot  about  engineering,  those  Toltecs.  To  swing  these 
blocks  into  their  places  must  have  taken  derricks  and  com- 
plicated machinery.  A  wonderful  work,  a  wonderful  race. 
How  Philip  would  enjoy  this!" 

"  I  think  Senor  Felipe  would  rather  be  where  he  is,  in 
Tlatonac,"  replied  Dolores,  wearily.  "  I  would  I  were  in 
the  Casa  Maraquando." 

"  Cheer  up,  my  heart!  We  will  be  there  in  a  few  days. 
Will  I  carry  you,  cara?  " 


AN   INDIAN   FESTIVAL.  247 

"  Dios,  no!  you  are  already  laden." 

tf  But  you  are  as  light  as  a  feather." 

"  Eh,  Juanito!  You  would  not  find  that  after  carrying 
me  for  an  hour  or  so.  No,  I  am  still  able  to  walk.  I  am 
stronger  than  you  think." 

They  steadily  climbed  up  the  staircase,  and  at  length 
entered  the  narrow  gorge  described  by  Cocom.  Here 
Jack  made  the  girl  sit  down  and  drink  some  wine,  which 
did  her  so  much  good  that  in  a  few  minutes  she  declared 
herself  ready  to  resume  the  journey.  Thus  fortified  they 
entered  the  gorge,  and,  cautiously  following  its  windings, 
at  length  emerged  suddenly  into  a  circular  space.  So 
unexpectedly  did  they  enter,  that  as  passages  opened  out 
in  all  directions  they  could  not  tell  by  which  way  they 
had  come.  This  pit — for  it  was  little  else — hewn  out  of 
the  rock,  was  fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  depth,  and  must  have 
represented  years  of  toil.  On  all  sides  innumerable  pas- 
sages darted  out  like  rays,  and  it  was  this  thought  that 
caused  Jack  to  exclaim: 

' '  It  is  like  the  opal,  Dolores.  This  space  is  the  stone, 
those  passages  the  rays;  so  it  serves  a  double  purpose — to 
mislead  the  runaway,  and  yet  be  a  symbol  of  the  Chalchuih 
Tlatonac." 

Fortune  favored  the  fugitives,  for  the  moon,  directly 
overhead,  sent  down  her  full  glory  into  the  pit.  Had  they 
arrived  later,  they  would  probably  have  had  to  wait  till 
dawn,  as  the  blackness  would  have  been  too  intense  to 
permit  them  to  find  the  true  outlet.  But  the  moonlight, 
by  happy  chance,  was  so  strong  that,  after  carefully 
examining  the  sides  of  several  entrances,  Jack  at  length 
hit  on  the  sign.  A  huge  crimson  blot,  with  scarlet  rays, 
blazed  on  a  passage  to  the  right. 

"Here  we  are,  Dolores!"  cried  Duval,  joyfully;  "this  is 
the  right  way;  but  we  must  be  careful,  and  not  risk  a 
snare.  One  can  never  tell  what  these  infernal  Indians  are 
up  to." 

With  great  caution  they  entered  the  tunnel  indicated  by 
the  sign,  and  feeling  every  step  before  them,  for  the  whole 
place  was  intensely  dark,  moved  onward  at  a  snail's  pace. 
The  tunnel  wound  hither  and  thither,  until  they  felt  quite 
bewildered.  For  a  time  the  passage  was  level,  but  after  a 
series  of  turnings  it  began  to  slope  gently  downward  and 
so  continued  to  the  entrance. 


248  THE   HABLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  I  hope  to  heaven  there  are  no  branch  tunnels/'  said 
Jack,  anxiously;  "  we  could  easily  go  off  the  main  track  in 
this  gloom." 

' '  I  am  sure  there  are  no  side  tunnels,"  replied 
Dolores,  decisively;  "  even  the  priests  could  not  find  their 
way  through  this  place  otherwise  than  with  one  way.  If 
there  were  other  tunnels  they  would  lose  themselves,  and 
that  they  would  not  care  to  risk." 

"Well,  let  us  move  on.     At  all  events  the  tunnel  is 

getting  straighter,"  remarked  Jack,  hopefully.     "I  wish 
ocom  had  given  us  a  torch." 

"What  is  that  yonder?"  cried  Dolores,  pressing  his 
arm.  "  A  gleam  of  light." 

"Bueno!  It  is  the  exit.  Come,  Dolores,  and  say  no 
word,  lest,  when  we  emerge  on  to  the  platform,  there 
should  be  Indians  waiting  there.  Eemember  our  vow  of 
silence." 

Encouraged  by  this  sign  of  deliverance  they  hurried 
rapidly  forward,  quite  certain  that  the  ground  was  safe, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  stepped  out  of  the  tunnel's  mouth  on 
to  a  mighty  platform  half-way  down  the  mountain.  Jack 
cast  a  swift  glance  to  right  and  left,  but  the  area  of 
masonry  was  quite  bare.  They  were  the  only  human  beings 
thereon.  He  turned  to  speak  to  Dolores,  and  found  her 
staring  motionless  at  the  magnificent  scene  before  her. 

The  platform,  Jack  guessed,  was  fully  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
in  length  and  enormously  wide.  It  had  first  been  hewn 
out  of  the  living  rock,  and  then  faced  with  masonry 
flagged  with  stones.  Here  was  adopted  the  same  device 
for  misleading  strangers  as  had  been  done  in  the  court  of 
the  gods  at  the  entrance  from  Totatzine.  The  whole  face 
of  the  cliff  at  the  back  of  the  terrace  was  perforated  with 
tunnels,  and  now  that  they  had  moved  to  the  verge  of  the 
platform  neither  of  them  could  tell  which  tunnel  they  had 
come  out  of.  Saving  one,  all  those  passages  led  to  death 
and  destruction.  Only  one  was  safe,  and  that  the  tunnel 
distinguished  by  the  opal  sign.  No  one  ignorant  of  that 
sign  could  have  escaped  death. 

"  I  don't  wonder  Totatzine  remains  hidden,"  said  Jack, 
thoughtfully.  "  The  whole  of  that  path  is  a  mass  of 
danger  and  snares.  Now,  however,  we  will  have  a  cleare; 
way." 


AN    INDIAN    FESTIVAL.  249 

Turning  toward  the  east  they  beheld  a  vast  staircase 
sloping  downward  to  a  broad  road,  at  the  sides  of  Avhich 
were  giant  images  of  the  gods.  In  the  pale  moonlight 
they  looked  like  demons,  so  frightful  were  their  aspects. 
In  long  lines,  like  pillars,  they  stretched  away  eastward 
into  the  forests,  ending  in  dim  obscurity.  On  either  side, 
dense  foliage;  away  in  the  distance,  a  sea  of  green  trees. 
There  was  nothing  but  trackless  woods,  and  this  great  road 
piercing  into  the  emerald  profundity  like  a  wedge.  Behind 
arose  tall  red  cliffs,  crowned  with  ancient  trees,  tunneled 
with  black  cavities.  From  thence  spread  out  the  platform 
with  its  huge  blocks  of  stone,  its  walls  covered  with  hiero- 
glyphics, statues  of  fierce  gods,  and  vast  piles  of  truncated 
towers.  Below,  the  forests,  the  roadway,  the  staircase. 

"  "What  a  terrible  place,  Dolores,"  said  Jack,  drawing  a 
long  breath.  "  It  is  like  the  abode  of  demons.  Come!  it 
is  now  after  midnight,  and  the  moon  will  soon  be  setting. 
While  we  have  the  light,  let  us  try  to  reach  the  end  of 
yonder  avenue." 

"  One  moment,  Juan,"  replied  Dolores,  drawing  forth 
something  from  her  bosom.  "  While  Cocom  was  with 
you  I  went  np  to  the  shrine  of  Huitzilopochtli  and  took 
in— this." 

Between  her  fingers,  in  the  pale  moonlight,  it  flashed 
faintly  with  weak  sparks  of  many-colored  fire.  Jack 
bounded  forward. 

"  The  Harlequin  Opal! "  he  exclaimed,  delighted.  "  You 
have  taken  the  Harlequin  Opal. " 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


THE   FUGITIVES. 

The  sun  goes  down,  the  twilight  wanes; 
With  reddened  spurs  and  hanging  reins, 
We  urge  our  steeds  across  the  plains. 

For  you  and  I  are  flying  far 

From  those  who  would  our  loving  mar, 

And  prison  you  with  bolt  and  bar. 

Sigh  not  dear  one,  look  not  so  white; 
My  castle  stands  on  yonder  height; 
We'll  reach  it  e'er  the  morning's  light. 

The  future's  joy  this  night  is  born; 

I  wed  thee  in  the  early  morn, 

And  laugh  my  rivals  twain  to  scorn. 

It  was  fifty  miles  from  Totatzine  to  the  coast.  Dolores 
being  a  woman,  and  weak;  Jack,  owing  to  illness,  not 
being  quite  so  strong  as  usual,  they  found  it  difficult  to 
do  more  on  an  average  than  two  miles  an  hour.  To  make 
up  for  slow  walking  they  stretched  out  their  pedestrian- 
ism  to  twelve  hours  between  dawn  and  eve,  thus  reaching 
the  seashore  in  two  days.  They  arrived  at  the  care 
spoken  of  by  Cocom — which  was  a  harbor  of  refuge  to 
them  in  their  sore  distress — completely  worn  out,  body  and 
soul  and  garments.  Still  they  felt  a  certain  amount  of 
comfort  in  three  consolations:  Firstly,  they  had  escaped 
from  Totatzine  with  their  lives.  Secondly,  the  waDet  was 
not  yet  exhausted  of  meat  and  drink,  so  that  they  were  in 
no  danger  of  starvation.  Thirdly,  Cocom,  always  supposing 
he  would  hoodwink  the  priests  as  to  his  share  in  their 
escape,  would  arrive  within  twelve  hours  or  thereabouts. 
Thus  fortified  with  food  and  hope,  they  stayed  thankfully 
in  the  cave  and  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  old  Indian. 

As  to  the  journey  from  platform  to  cave,  that  had  been 
a  horrible  dream;  a  nightmare  of  hardship,  of  weariness, 

(250) 


THE   FUGITIVES.  251 

of  many  pangs.  Starting  from  the  terrace  shortly  after 
midnight,  they  had  traversed  the  avenue  in  three  hours. 
It  was  five  miles  in  length,  and,  proceeding  at  the  rate  of 
two  miles  every  sixty  minutes,  it  can  be  easily  seen  that 
they  could  gain  the  shelter  of  the  forest  long  before  dawn. 
The  great  road  ended  abruptly  amid  a  confused  heap  of 
ruins,  forest-trees,  tangled  undergrowth.  Doubtless  in 
the  old  time  it  had  continued  even  to  the  coast,  but  time 
and  the  Indians  had  obliterated  all  traces  of  its  magnifi- 
cence five  miles  down.  The  former  did  this  because  it  is 
his  invariable  custom  to  so  treat  all  human  works  which 
set  themselves  up  as  enduring  forever;  the  latter  played 
havoc  with  the  relics  of  their  ancestors'  magnificence  so  as 
to  hide  the  city  of  Totatzine  from  the  eyes  of  the  white 
destroyers  who  had  trodden  out  of  existence  those  same 
ancestors.  Nature  had  also  done  her  share  in  the  work  of 
destruction,  and  sent  a  wave  of  green  trees  across  the 
straight  line  of  causeway.  Therefore  the  road  which 
began  so  proudly  at  the  foot  of  the  great  staircase  ended 
suddenly,  after  five  miles,  in  the  tangled  wilderness. 

The  journey  from  Totatzine  to  this  point  had  been  long 
and  arduous;  the  moon  had  set  behind  the  hills,  so  that  it 
was  now  dark,  and  to  explore  an  unknown  forest  in  such 
gloom  would  have  been  foolish,  therefore  Jack  insisted 
that  they  should  take  some  rest.  In  the  midst  of  an  old 
palace  he  constructed  a  bed  for  Dolores  with  the  aid  of  his 
and  her  own  cloak,  and,  after  seeing  her  safely  bestowed 
therein,  lay  down  at  the  entrance  so  as  to  act  as  a  sleeping 
sentinel,  if  such  a  thing  be  possible.  Nothing  particular 
occurred,  however,  and  when  they  woke  the  sun  was 
already  high  in  the  heavens.  Then  they  made  a  frugal 
breakfast  and  resumed  their  journey. 

The  way  being  no  longer  clearly  defined,  their  progress 
was  necessarily  slow  from  this  point.  To  the  right,  on  the 
trunk  of  a  tree,  appeared  the  sign  of  a  scarlet  opal  as  before 
pictured  on  the  rocks,  so  to  the  right  they  went,  and  at 
once,  even  at  these  few  steps  from  the  causeway,  found 
themselves  in  the  heart  of  a  wild  tropical  forest:  There 
was  something  terrible  to  these  two  civilized  beings  about 
the  primeval  savagery  of  this  vegetation  and  exuberant 
foliage.  Dense,  tangled,  almost  impenetrable,  it  reminded 
Jack  of  the  wood  grown  by  fairy  power  round  the  palace 


252  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

of  the  sleeping  beauty.  That  forest,  however,  was  to  keep 
lovers  out;  this,  alas!  served  to  keep  these  lovers  in.  It 
lay  between  them  and  the  coast,  quite  thirty-five  miles  of 
wild  growth,  and  at  times  Dolores  almost  despaired  of 
breaking  through  the  barrier.  Not  so  Jack;  he  was  hope- 
ful of  ultimate  success,  being  strengthened  in  his  faith  by 
constant  appearance  of  the  opal  sign. 

On  every  side  of  them  rose  giant  trees  of  hoary  age,  their 
trunks  seemingly  supporting  the  verdant  roof  overhead. 
At  times  so  dense  were  the  leaves  that  sky  and  sun  and 
kindly  light  were  shut  out  entirely,  and  they  moved  through 
a  translucent  twilight  of  tremulous  green.  From  trunks 
and  boughs  depended  lianas,  like  ropes  binding  the  forest 
giants  together,  or,  dropping  to  the  ground,  formed  a  lad- 
der up  which  climbed  the  most  exquisite  flowers.  Splen- 
did tree-ferns  drooped  their  gigantic  fronds  on  high, 
springing  thickly  from  tall  pillars,  rough,  brown,  and 
hairy.  Below,  the  ground  was  thick  with  brilliant  blos- 
soms, which  seized  every  chance  offered  by  rock,  liana,  and 
trunk  to  climb  upward  to  that  light  excluded  by  the  sea  of 
foliage  overhead. 

At  every  step  the  forest  changed  its  appearance  as  though 
it  were  an  enchanted  wood.  Here,  all  was  savagery  and 
gloom;  step  forward,  and  lo!  a  wide  and  sunny  glade. 
One  moment,  and  they  were  surrounded  by  moss-covered 
rocks;  the  next,  and  a  noble  avenue  of  palms  opened  a 
vista  before  them.  Pools  of  water  sparkled  here  and  there; 
babbling  brooks  winding  capriciously  in  and  out  in  way- 
ward circles;  at  times  the  sudden  gleam  of  a  waterfall, 
threading  downward  in  white  streaks  from  a  giant  rock; 
and  again  the  miasma  of  a  swamp,  black  and  evil-looking, 
in  whose  waters  rolled  the  trunks  of  fallen  trees.  Every- 
where flowers  bursting  into  bloom;  everywhere  new  leaves 
swelling  into  being;  everywhere  an  exuberant  life  of  a 
tropic  climate.  The  atmosphere  was  warm  and  damp,  a 
clammy  air  permeated  the  woods,  and  the  whole  place  was 
one  vast  hothouse,  where  fecundation  went  on  unceas- 
ingly. Throughout  a  rich  perfume  pervaded  the  air, 
heavy,  sickly,  and  languorous. 

Fortunately,  Jack's  sight  had  been  rendered  keen  by  his 
profession,  else  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  have  dis- 
cerned the  sign  on  trunk  of  tree  or  mossy  rock.  Scarlet 


THE   FUGITIVES.  253 

is  a  noticeable  color,  and  had  the  opal  sign  been  the  only 
red  hue  in  the  forest  there  would  have  been  no  difficulty 
in  the  matter.  But  everywhere  scarlet  flowers  made  fire  of 
the  intense  emerald  of  foliage  and  grass.  Dazzling  masses 
of  crimson  verbena  glared  fiercely  in  the  dim  gloom,  ver- 
milion-blossoms burned  like  lamps  in  the  dense  brushwood, 
wreaths  of  ruddy  leaves  made  streaks  like  veins  overhead, 
and  the  ground  blazed  with  the  pinks  and  carmines  and 
purples  of  an  infinite  variety  of  blossoms.  It  was  difficult 
to  pick  out  the  red  opal  sign  amid  this  constant  repetition 
of  the  same  tints;  but  Jack,  with  careful  observation,  man- 
aged to  do  so,  being  guided  at  times  by  a  well-defined 
path.  Indeed,  often  he  was  tempted  to  ignore  the  sign 
and  go  only  by  the  path;  but  as  numerous  branches  led  off 
from  the  omphalos  of  the  great  road,  he  was  afraid  of 
going  astray,  so  kept  his  reckoning  by  the  opal  alone. 

For  two  days  they  traveled  through  this  zone  of  verdure, 
and  at  length,  by  the  salt  smell  in  the  air,  became  aware 
that  they  were  nearing  the  ocean.  At  times  they  met 
Indians,  gaudily  dressed,  with  painted  faces  and  deadly 
looking  weapons;  but  these,  on  observing  the  scarlet 
mantles  of  the  pair,  and  receiving  the  sign  on  lips  and 
forehead,  stepped  aside  to  let  them  pass.  They  recognized 
that  these  travelers  were  proceeding  eastward  by  the  will 
of  the  god,  under  the  vow  of  silence.  Superstition, 
stronger  than  greed  or  cruelty,  protected  them  from  the 
savages  of  the  wilderness. 

The  journey  was  not  dull,  in  spite  of  their  anxiety  and 
dread  of  being  followed.  On  every  side  the  forest  was  full 
of  life,  and  Dolores  was  delighted  to  see  the  constant  flash- 
ing of  humming-birds,  green,  red,  and  yellow  glories,  which 
darted  through  the  still  air  like  flying  gems.  Once  they 
saw  the  yellow  hide  of  a  jaguar,  black-spotted,  sleek,  and 
terrible.  Jack  had  nothing  but  a  knife,  given  to  him  by 
Cocom,  and  regretted  that  he  had  not  his  revolver  with 
him.  A  knife  was  but  a  poor  weapon  to  do  battle  with 
such  a  terrible  foe.  To  their  relief,  however,  the  animal 
only  eyed  them  for  a  few  minutes  in  startled  surprise,  and 
then  slunk  away  among  the  undergrowth.  Other  perils 
from  wild  animals  they  had  none. 

Sometimes  the  whole  air  would  be  alive  with  butterflies. 
Purple,  yellow-spotted,  azure-striped,  they  fluttered  every- 


254  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

where.  One  would  have  thought  the  flowers  alive,  and 
flew  from  stem  to  stem.  Peter,  as  Jack  thought,  would 
have  been  in  his  element.  This  forest  was  the  true  para- 
dise of  butterflies.  But  they  had  no  time  to  admire  all 
this  skill  and  fecundity  of  nature.  Resolutely  following 
the  opal  sign,  they  pushed  onward  through  the  forest. 
They  saw  on  all  sides  the  puzzle-monkey  trees,  with  their 
sharp  spikes;  ombu  trees,  whose  shade  is  so  dense;  aloes, 
whose  branches  spread  outward  like  the  seven-stemmed 
candlestick  of  the  Revelation;  palms,  mangoes,  wild  fig 
trees;  cactus,  burning  with  fleshy  scarlet  blossoms,  and 
shallow  lagunas,  swampy  pools  of  water  filled  with  sedges 
and  rushes  and  slimy  weeds. 

The  din  was  constant.  Monkeys  swung  themselves  from 
bough  to  bough  overhead,  chattered  without  ceasing; 
parrots,  gay-plumaged,  harsh-voiced,  shrieked  discordantly 
in  their  ears;  the  roaring  of  jaguars  and  pumas  sounded 
faint  in  the  distance,  like  muffled  thunder;  and  ever 
rasped  the  stridulation  of  restless  grasshoppers,  unseen  but 
noisy. 

Such  a  wealth  of  invention,  such  overpowering  luxuri- 
ance, wore  out  the  senses,  wearied  the  soul.  Both  Jack 
and  Dolores  were  glad  when  the  sharp  salt  smell  of  the 
sea  struck  knife-like  through  the  enervating  atmosphere. 
They  had  been  traveling  since  dawn,  and  now,  at  noon  on 
the  third  day  of  their  departure  from  Totatzine,  they 
beheld  the  great  waste  of  waters  flashing  like  a  mirror  in 
the  sun.  Jack  should  have  greeted  it  as  did  the  Hel- 
lenes of  Xenophon,  with  a  joyful  cry  of  "  Thalatta! 
Thalatta!"  But  he  had  forgotten  his  Greek,  and  was  too 
weary  to  feel  poetic. 

At  this  stage  of  their  journey  they  met  with  many 
Indians,  who  were  landed  in  order  to  proceed  to  the  shrine 
of  the  opal.  Dolores  was  much  afraid  of  their  secret  being 
discovered,  and  even  Jack  was  somewhat  doubtful  of  the 
efficacy  of  the  vow  of  silence;  but  in  this  case,  as  in 
others,  fanaticism  proved  their  safeguard,  for  they  passed 
unharmed,  even  unspoken  to,  through  the  mass  of  savages. 
On  arriving  at  the  verge  of  the  sea,  Jack  at  once  sought 
out  the  cave  described  by  Cocom;  and,  leading  Dolores 
thereto,  in  a  short  space  of  time  they  were  in  safety. 
From  this  point,  as  Jack  had  learned  in  Totatzine,  the 


THE   FUGITIVES.  255 

city  of  Tlatonac  was  distant  about  twenty  miles  down  the 
coast,  and  as  there  were  plenty  of  canoes  drawn  up  on  the 
beach,  ib  would  have  been  easy  for  them  to  have  proceeded 
at  once  on  their  journey.  Gratitude  to  Cocom,  however, 
prevented  this,  and  they  remained  that  night  in  the  cave 
in  order  to  await  his  arrival.  The  hiding-place  was  a 
natural  cavern  of  wide  extent,  and,  after  making  Dolores 
as  comfortable  as  he  could,  Jack  retired  to  the  entrance 
and  kept  guard,  lest  they  should  be  surprised  by  some 
Avandering  savage. 

Throughout  this  perilous  journey  nothing  could  exceed 
the  tenderness  and  chivalry  with  which  Duval  behaved 
toward  Dolores.  He  was  tireless  in  his  efforts  to  spare  her 
all  fatigues,  in  keeping  up  her  spirits,  in  guarding  her 
from  all  the  annoyances  consequent  on  traveling,  ill-pro- 
vided, through  a  dense  forest.  Dolores  said  nothing  at  the 
time,  but  took  silent  note  of  all  this  courtesy,  and  over 
and  over  again  breathed  a  thankful  prayer  that  the  man 
whom  she  loved  had  proved  himself  so  noble  in  the  hour  of 
danger.  It  was  a  disagreeable  position  to  a  girl  brought 
up  as  she  had  been  in  strict  observance  of  etiquette;  but 
Jack  came  triumphantly  through  the  ordeal,  and  gained 
rather  than  lost  in  her  eyes  by  the  nobility  of  his  character, 
by  the  rare  delicacy  of  his  behavior. 

The  only  thing  that  Duval  feared  was  that  the  loss  of  the 
opal  might  cause  the  priests  to  mistrust  Cocom's  story,  and 
send  out  word  far  and  wide  that  the  sacred  gem  had  been 
torn  from  the  temple.  It  was  true  that  they  had  gained 
a  twelve  hours'  start,  but,  owing  to  the  delicacy  of  Dolores' 
constitution,  they  had  traveled  very  slowly  to  the  coast, 
and  at  any  moment  messengers  with  news  of  the  theft 
might  arrive  on  the  scene.  In  such  an  event,  all  the 
Indians  on  the  coast  would  be  examined  as  to  whether  a 
man  and  woman  had  passed  seaward  in  company.  Owing 
to  their  clothes  being  scattered  in  the  gorge,  the  priests 
(supposing  they  did  not  trust  these  signs  of  death)  would 
know  they  were  disguised  as  Indians,  therefore  the  dresses 
would  avail  them  but  little.  Neither  would  the  vow  of 
silence  be  of  much  use,  as  in  this  crisis  they  would  be  ques- 
tioned as  to  whom  they  were,  to  what  tribe  did  they  belong, 
and  as  neither  of  them  could  speak  a  word  of  Indian,  the 
situation  would  become  serious.  The  only  hope,  therefore, 


256  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

that  they  had  of  safety  was  of  the  arrival  of  Cocorn  with- 
out delay.  If  he  arrived  next  morning  all  would  be  well; 
if  not,  Jack  discussed  the  advisability  of  taking  a  canoe  and 
proceeding  at  once  to  Tlatonac. 

At  dawn  next  morning  they  were  both  eating  a  hurried 
meal  in  the  cave,  and  talking  over  the  advisability  of  making 
a  retreat  while  it  was  yet  time. 

"  As  soon  as  they  find  out  the  opal  is  missing,  the  whole 
country  will  rise  in  arms/'  said  Jack,  emphatically;  "and 
every  Indian  will  be  questioned  closely,  both  within  and 
without  the  town." 

"  But  the  news  won't  reach  the  coast  for  some  time, 
Juan." 

"I  question  very  much  if  it  has  not  reached  the  coast 
now,"  replied  Jack,  a  trifle  dryly.  "  From  the  end  of  that 
road  are  many  other  paths  to  the  coast,  so  swift  messengers 
might  have  passed  us  in  that  way.  Let  us  hope,  however, 
that  this  is  not  the  case,  and  that  Cocom  will  be  the  first 
to  bring  the  news  that  the  opal  is  lost." 

"  Cocom  will  guess  that  I  have  taken  the  opal! " 

"  Doubtless;  and  the  question  is  whether  he  will  permit 
you  to  take  it  to  Tlatonac." 

"But  why  not,  Juanito?  I  am  the  guardian  of  the  opal. 
It  is  mine." 

"  Querida,  you  are  wrong.  It  is  the  property  of  Huitzi- 
lopochtli.  You  are  only  its  guardian;  a  mere  honorary 
position  that  does  not  entail  possession  of  the  stone.  Its 
proper  place,  according  to  the  Indian's  superstition,  is  in 
the  shrine  of  Totatzine." 

"  But  Cocom  is  a  Christian.  He  will  not  care  about  my 
taking  it." 

"Dios!  I  am  not  so  sure  of  that,  Dolores.  Cocom,  by 
his  own  profession,  was  brought  up  an  idolater,  and  old 
habits  cling.  It  is  true  that  he  was  converted  by  the  good 
Padre,  and  I  have  no  doubt  his  Catholicism  is  very  fair — 
for  an  Indian.  But  if  he  does  not  worship  the  war-god, 
he  at  least  believes  in  the  prophetic  quotations  of  the  opal; 
and,  thus  believing,  may  resent  its  being  taken  from  the 
shrine." 

"Then  I  will  say  nothing  about  it." 

"Useless,  angelita!  Cocom  knows  that  no  other  person 
than  ourselves  would  dare  to  steal  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac. 


THE   FUGITIVES.  257 

I  was  with  him  all  the  time,  so  he  will  know  it  can  not  be 
me.     Naturally  enough  he  will  think  it  is  you.'" 

"  And  therefore  betray  us?" 

"No,  I  do  not  think  he  will  do  that.  After  all  his 
trouble  it  would  be  foolish  of  him  to  now  play  the  traitor, 
for  then  his  concurrence  in  our  escape  would  become 
known  and  get  him  into  bad  odor  with  the  priests.  But  it 
is  possible  that  he  might  insist  on  your  leaving  the  opal 
behind,  to  be  sent  back  to  Totatzine." 

"No,"  cried  Dolores,  decisively;  "I  will  rather  throw 
it  into  the  sea.  Now  that  the  gem  is  away  from  the  shrine, 
those  horrid  priests  may  stop  sacrificing  men  to  the  idol. 
Besides,"  she  added,  naively,  "  it  is  mine." 

"Ah!  that  is  an  all-sufficient  reason,"  replied  Duval, 
smiling.  "  Like  all  women,  querida,  you  are  fond  of  gems, 
and  do  not  like  to  part  with  this  one." 

"It  is  very  beautiful,"  sighed  Dolores,  taking  the  stone 
from  her  breast.  "See  how  it  glitters,  Juanito.  Ah! 
what  is  that?  " 

A  long,  shrill  whistle  sounded  outside  the  cave. 

"  Cocom!"  cried  Jack,  starting  to  his  feet.  "Hide  the 
opal  for  the  present,  Dolores." 

It  was  indeed  Cocom  who  entered.  Cocom,  looking 
much  older  than  usual,  and  quite  worn  out  with  his  long 
journey  from  Totatzine.  He  saluted  them  gravely,  and 
wrapping  himself  in  his  zarape  crouched  on  the  floor  of 
the  cave,  with  his  eyes  intently  fixed  on  them  both.  The 
expression  of  his  face  was  as  usual,  and  Jack  was  quite 
unable  to  decide  whether  he  approved  of  or  resented  the 
rape  of  the  shining  precious  stone. 

"  You  look  tired,  Cocom,"  said  Jack,  passing  him  a  flask 
of  aguardiente.  "  Take  a  drink  of  this.  It  will  do  you 
good." 

The  old  man  greedily  seized  the  flask,  and  drained  it  to 
the  bottom.  As  it  was  more  than  half-full,  Jack  fully 
expected  to  see  him  fall  helplessly  intoxicated  on  the  floor. 
But  Cocom's  head  was  seasoned  to  strong  drink,  and  it 
only  made  him  look  younger,  as  though  the  aguardiente 
were  a  draught  from  the  Fountain  of  Youth. 

"Have  you  it,  Senorita?"  he  asked,  fixing  his  beady 
eyes  on  Dolores. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Dolores,  off  her  guard.    "  That  is,  I — 
17 


258  THE   HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"Bueno!"  said  Cocom,  nodding  his  head.  "  You  have 
the  opal.  I  am  content." 

Jack  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief.  Cocom's  sympathy 
with  the  idolatry  of  his  j^outh  was  not  evidently  strong 
enough  to  stir  him  into  protest  against  the  gem  being 
stolen.  Or  perhaps  he  deemed  that  Dolores  had  more 
right  to  it  than  Huitzilopochtli.  At  all  events  he  did  not 
seem  ill  pleased  that  she  was  now  in  possession  of  the  cele- 
brated stone. 

"What  say  the  priests,  Cocom?"  he  asked,  anxiously. 

"  They  are  in  despair,  Sefior,  over  the  loss  of  the  sacred 
stone." 

"Do  they  know  who  has  taken  it?" 

Cocom  pointed  one  copper-colored  finger  at  Dolores. 

"  They  know  that  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac  is  with  the 
guardian;  but  they  think  that  the  guardian  and  you, 
Senor,  are  at  the  bottom  of  the  canon,  in  the  bed  of  the 
torrent." 

"  Then  your  ruse  was  successful? " 

"  Yes,  Senor.  I  strewed  the  clothes  on  the  narrow 
path,  and  in  the  dawn  awoke  the  town  with  my  cries. 
Ixtlilxochitli,  with  his  priests,  came  to  inquire  the  trouble. 
I  told  them  you,  Senor,  had  escaped.  They,  not  guessing 
you  had  gone  by  the  secret  way,  thought  you  had  fled  alone 
by  the  canon.  The  narrow  way  was  examined,  your 
clothes  were  found,  the  blood  on  the  cliffs,  the  clothes  of 
Dona  Dolores.  Then  they  knew  she  had  fled  with  you, 
and  deemed  both  had  fallen  in  the  darkness  over  the  cliff 
into  the  torrent." 

"  And  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac?"  asked  Dolores,  breath- 
lessly. 

"They  discovered  that  loss  on  returning  to  the  teocalli 
for  the  morning  sacrifice.  All  the  priests  were  in  despair; 
and  Ixtlilxochitli,  knowing  you  had  taken  the  sacred  gem, 
Senor,  burned  a  lock  of  your  hair — 

"A  lock  of  my  hair!"  interrupted  Jack,  in  surprise; 
"how  did  they  get  that?" 

"  Some  of  your  hair  was  cut  off  when  you  were  ill,  and 
preserved  in  the  temple." 

"And  why  did  they  burn  it?" 

"Because  by  doing  so  they  devote  your  soul  to 
Tlacatecolotl,  the  evil  one." 


THE   FUGITIVES.  259 

"Oh,  the  Aztec  devil,"  replied  Duval,  carelessly. 
"Much  good  that  will  do  them.  I  should  have  thought  it 
wiser  for  them  to  look  for  the  stone." 

"  They  are  looking  for  it,  Senor,  and  for  your  body,  in 
the  bed  of  the  torrent." 

"  I'm  afraid  they  will  be  disappointed  with  the  result  of 
their  search.  So  they  think  we  are  dead?" 

"  Yes,  Sefior,  you  are  safe  from  pursuit;  but  I  am  not." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

Cocom  withdrew  his  left  arm  from  the  fold  of  his  zarape. 
The  hand  was  cut  off,  and  nothing  remained  but  the  stump 
of  the  wrist,  seared  with  hot  iron — a  hideous  object. 
Dolores  cried  out,  and  hid  her  face  in  her  hands  with  a 
shudder.  Jack  at  once  understood  why  Cocom  had  acqui- 
esced so  calmly  in  the  theft  of  the  opal. 

"Behold,  Sefior!"  said  the  old  man,  shaking  the  muti- 
lated wrist  at  Jack,  with  a  look  of  hatred;  "this  was  my 
punishment  for  suffering  you  to  escape.  My  hand  was  cut 
off  before  Huitzilopochtli,  and  burned  with  red-hot  iron. 
Then  I  was  shut  up  in  prison,  to  wait  till  the  god's  will 
was  known." 

"My  poor  Cocom!"  cried  Jack,  much  distressed;  "how 
you  have  suffered  for  aiding  us.  Thank  heaven,  you  have 
escaped!" 

"  Yes,  Sefior.  Ixtlilxochitli  did  not  think  I  could  leave 
the  city;  but  in  the  night  I  got  out  of  the  window  of  my 
prison,  and  followed  you  down  the  secret  way.  With  all 
my  strength  I  followed,  but  I  feel  sure  that  the  hounds  of 
the  priests  are  on  my  track." 

"  But  as  Ixtlilxochitli  knows  you  are  not  aware  of  the 
secret  way,  he — 

"Sefior,"  interrupted  Cocom,  vehemently,  "he  must 
know  it  now.  After  the  discovery  of  the  canon,  guards 
were  placed  there.  I  have  left  the  city.  One  other  way 
only  could  I  have  gone — the  secret  way.  Believe  me,  Sefior, 
the  Indians  are  not  far  behind." 

"Dios!"  cried  Dolores,  in  terror,  "we  will  be  dis- 
covered ! " 

"Not  so,  Senorita!  On  my  way  hither  I  met  a  friend 
coming  from  Tlatonac  to  the  shrine.  He  told  me  that  the 
boat  of  the  Americano  had  gone  some  days  since  to  Acauht- 
zin,  to  demand  the  release  of  Don  Juan.  She  returns 


260  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

to-day,  and  will  pass  this  point  at  noon.  There  is  a  canoe 
below,  Sefior!  Let  us  depart  in  that  canoe,  and  meet  the 
steamer." 

Jack  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  shout  at  this  prospect  of 
deliverance. 

" Philip's  yacht/'  he  cried,  joyfully;  "good!  We  will 
do  as  you  say  at  once,  Cocom,  and  cut  across  the  line  of 
her  passage.  She  will  be  sure  to  pick  us  up." 

"Not  now,  Sefior.    At  noon." 

Jack  went  to  the  entrance  of  the  cave,  and  looked  at  the 
altitude  of  the  sun. 

"It  wants  two  hours  to  noon.  In  one  hour  we  will 
start." 

"Bueno!"  replied  Cocom,  stolidly;  "let  us  hope  the 
hounds  of  Ixtlilxochitli  will  not  find  us.  Once  we  see 
the  boat  of  the  Seiior  Americano,  and  we  are  safe;  if 
not—" 

Cocom  shook  his  head  to  intimate  he  had  grave  doubts 
of  what  would  be  their  fate  in  such  an  event,  and  took 
another  drink  of  aguardiente.  Jack  knew  that  in  return- 
ing Philip  would  keep  the  yacht  close  to  the  shore  in 
order  to  avoid  the  war-ships  of  Xuarez,  which  generally 
kept  a  long  way  to  seaward.  He  therefore  took  up  his 
station  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  and  watched  the  north- 
ern horizon  for  the  first  trail  of  smoke  from  the  yacht's 
funnel. 

As  in  most  tropical  countries,  toward  the  middle  of  the 
day  all  sounds  of  life  ceased,  and  Nature  took  her  siesta. 
In  the  hush,  the  three  people  in  the  cave  heard  far  away  a 
wild  cry.  Cocom  sprang  to  his  feet  and  hurried  to  the 
entrance  to  lay  his  head  on  Jack's  arm. 

"  Ixtlilxochitli's  hounds!  Let  us  get  away  at  once. 
Quick,  Senor!  We  will  start  now." 

"And  be  safe!"  cried  Jack,  excitedly,  pointing  toward 
the  horizon;  "  yonder  is  the  yacht! " 

There  was  a  speck  on  the  horizon,  but  they  had  no  time 
to  look  at  it.  The  cries  of  the  Indians  sounded  nearer 
and  nearer.  Guided  by  Cocom,  they  left  the  cave  and 
rushed  down  a  steep  road  to  the  beach.  Hastily  selecting 
a  large  canoe,  Cocom  sprang  in.  Jack  lifted  Dolores  over 
the  gunwale,  and,  stepping  in  himself,  pushed  quickly  off. 
Just  as  they  got  her  afloat  a  crowd  of  Indians  burst  out 


THE  FUGITIVES.  261 

of  the  woods  and  made  for  the  beach.  With  keen  eyes 
they  had  distinguished  Cocom  as  the  fugitive  whom  they 
were  after,  and,  fearful  of  losing  their  prey,  poured  down 
in  a  tumultuous  mass.  A  shower  of  arrows  fell  around 
them,  but  luckily  did  no  damage  save  grazing  Jack's 
cheek.  In  another  moment  they  were  in  deep  water, 
paddling  quickly  from  the  shore. 

The  Indians  at  once  seized  the  remaining  boats,  of 
which  there  were  about  a  dozen,  and  hurriedly  embarked. 
Impelled  by  powerful  arms  these  boats  shot  out  after  the 
fugitives  with  great  rapidity.  Jack  turned  his  head  to 
look  for  the  yacht.  She  was  steaming  southward  with 
great  speed.  With  the  strength  of  despair  Jack  paddled, 
and  so  did  Dolores.  Cocom  was  but  little  use  with  his 
mutilated  hand,  but  stood  up  in  the  bow  cursing  their 
pursuers  fluently  in  the  Indian  tongue. 

From  the  start  they  had  gained  considerably  on  their 
pursuers,  and  fortunately  an  accident  happened  by  which 
three  of  the  canoes,  coming  into  collision,  were  overturned. 
The  screams  and  cries  of  those  struggling  in  the  water 
caused  their  comrades  to  pause,  and  during  a  few  minutes 
Jack  succeeded  in  placing  a  longer  distance  between  him- 
self and  his  pursuers.  The  Bohemian  was  so  near  that  he 
could  see  the  Union  Jack  flying  at  her  mast-head,  the  foam 
swirling  from  her  bows. 

With  wild  yells  to  encourage  one  another,  the  remaining 
canoes  started  again;  but  their  folly  in  keeping  close 
together  in  a  mass  impeded  their  own  speed.  A  good  dis- 
tance stretched  between  the  pursuers  and  pursued.  Cocom 
stood  swearing  fluently,  Dolores  prayed  loudly  in  Spanish, 
but  Jack,  with  teeth  set  hard,  paddled  as  though  the  devil 
were  after  him.  To  lose  all  when  within  sight  of  safety, 
it  would  be  too  terrible;  and  as  he  forced  the  boat  along, 
he  kept  glancing  over  his  shoulder  to  look  at  the  course  of 
the  yacht.  She  was  standing  closer  in  to  shore,  and  the 
canoe  would  cut  across  her  trail  in  ten  minutes  or  there- 
abouts. 

Those  on  board  had  evidently  seen  a  boat  was  being 
chased  by  the  Indians,  for  the  sound  of  a  gun  broke  on 
their  ears. 

"Hurrah!"  yelled  Jack,    joyfully.     "Philip  sees  us. 
Come  on,  you  cursed  wretches,  Pll  escape  you  yet," 
17 


262  THE  HARLEQUIK  OPAL. 

Dolores  flung  down  her  paddle  with  a  cry.  She  was 
completely  worn  out,  and  could  do  no  more.  Jack  did 
what  he  could,  but  the  Indians  rapidly  gained  on  them.  A 
second  gun  announced  that  the  yacht  was  close  at  hand. 
So  were  the  Indians  now,  within  bow-shot.  Already  some 
were  fitting  the  arrows  to  the  strings.  An  idea  struck  Jack 
which  promised  to  be  their  salvation. 

"Dolores,  the  opal,  the  opal!  Hold  it  up.  They  dare 
not  fire  then." 

She  caught  his  meaning  at  once,  and  as  the  nearest  boat 
drew  on  sprang  to  her  feet  and  held  up  the  great  gem.  It 
flashed  and  sparkled  in  the  sun,  and  a  cry  of" wonder  burst 
from  the  lips  of  their  pursuers.  The  foremost  warriors 
dropped  their  bows.  They  recognized  the  Chalchuih  Tla- 
tonac,  and  superstition,  stronger  than  anything  else  in 
their  motives,  paralyzed  their  arms. 

"  Senor,  the  boat!"  cried  Cocom,  joyfully. 

Jack  turned  his  head.  The  Bohemian  was  less,  much 
less,  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  Seeing  this,  the 
Indians,  while  forbearing  to  shoot,  made  redoubled  efforts 
to  catch  them  before  the  yacht  came  up,  and  thus  recover 
the  sacred  gem.  One  boat  came  within  two  lengths,  when 
Jack,  thinking  to  dodge  and  gain  time,  turned  his  light 
craft  off  to  the  right.  In  another  two  minutes  a  ball 
ricochetted  across  the  waves  and  smashed  the  foremost  boat 
to  pieces.  Awestruck  at  this  unexpected  event,  the  others 
stopped  paddling,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  canoe  was  safe 
under  the  bows  of  the  yacht.  Philip,  Peter,  and  Eafael 
were  looking  over  the  side  at  the — as  they  thought — 
Indians. 

"Philip!    Philip!" 

"Why,  God!    It's  Jack!" 

"Dolores!  Take  Dolores  on  board  first,"  murmured 
Jack;  then,  overcome  by  all  he  had  passed  through,  fell 
back  in  a  faint. 


CHAPTER  XXIL 


FOBTTJNE  TUBNS  HEE  WHEEL. 

Frown,  Fortune,  frown, 

For  I  am  much  cast  down, 

And  tears  do  melancholy  make  my  face; 

In  sable  gown, 

With  sad  yew-wreath  as  crown, 

I  rail  at  you, 

Oh,  Fortune,  most  untrue, 

For  that  to  me  you  show  not  any  grace; 

Oh,  la!  fa!  la!  la! 

My  Lady  Fortune,  hear  my  sigh, 

Be  kinder  to  my  love  and  I. 

Smile,  Fortune,  smile, 

For  I  am  gay  awhile, 

And  laughter  lurks  about  these  lips  again; 

Now  I  beguile 

My  days  with  cheerful  wile, 

For  from  the  throng 

Of  shepherds  gay  and  strong 

My  love  hath  chosen  me  to  be  her  swain; 

Oh,  la!  fa!  la!  la! 

My  Lady  Fortune,  hear  my  cry, 

How  happy  are  my  love  and  I. 

"Baron  Munchausen!"  said  Philip,  addressing  Jack, 
with  mock  solemnity,  "  this  story  of  thine  passeth  the 
comprehension  of  man.  "Tis  a  most  rare  history,  and, 
were  I  the  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  I  would  have  it 
written  in  letters  of  gold  on  purple  parchment." 

It  was  some  hours  after  their  rescue  by  Philip,  and  The 
Bohemian  was  just  entering  the  harbor  of  Tlatonac. 
Dolores  was  sound  asleep  in  Peter's  cabin;  and  Jack,  now 
transformed  to  a  civilized  being  by  washing  and  clothing, 
was  seated  in  the  state-room  narrating  his  adventures  to  an 
attentive  audience  of  three.  As  for  Cocom,  he  was  squat- 
ting on  the  floor  with  a  cigarette  in  his  mouth,  grunting 
approval  of  Jack's  story — which  he  told  in  Spanish,  for  the 
benefit  of  Kafael — and  modestly  receiving  the  encomiums 

(263) 


264  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

lavished  on  him  by  the  listeners.  Philip  aiid  L^n  Eaf ael  fre- 
quently interrupted  him  with  exclamations  of  surprise;  but 
Peter,  less  skillful  in  understanding  the  Castilian  tongue, 
had  to  keep  his  attention  fixed  on  every  word  that  fell  from 
Jack's  lips.  Under  the  tutorship  of  Dona  Serafina,  the 
little  doctor  had  made  wonderful  progress,  and  now  under- 
stood the  Spanish  language  fairly  well.  It  was  at  the 
conclusion  of  this  most  extraordinary  story  that  Philip 
addressed  Jack  as  "  Baron  Munchausen." 

"Por  todos  Santos!"  exclaimed  Rafael,  admiringly,  fol- 
lowing Philip's  example;  "  it  is  wonderful.  Mi  amigo!  I 
can  never  thank  you  sufficiently  for  all  you  have  done  for 
my  cousin.  But,  perchance/'  added  the  young  captain, 
with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  "Dolores  has  already  thanked 
you  herself." 

' '  Dolores  will  thank  me  when  we  arrive  at  Tlatonac," 
retorted  Jack,  sipping  his  wine.  "Our  circumstances  were 
too  perilous,  Eaf  ael,  to  admit  of  fine  compliments." 

"  Don  Miguel  will  be  pleased,"  remarked  Peter,  in  fair 
Spanish. 

"He  will  be  more  than  pleased,  Don  Pedro!"  cried 
Rafael,  seizing  Jack's  hand.  "  My  friend,  for  this  you 
have  done  I  feel  sure  my  father  will  grant  you  the  desire 
of  your  heart." 

"Santissima!     Let  Dolores  marry  an  Americano?" 

"And  why  not,  Senor?     You  have  saved  her  life." 

"Assuredly.     But  Cocom  saved  mine,  Rafael." 

"For  that  Cocom  shall  pass  the  rest  of  his  days  in 
peace  and  comfort,"  said  Philip,  looking  gratefully  at  the 
Indian. 

Cocom  shook  his  head  with  mournful  composure. 

"  The  days  of  Cocom  are  numbered,  Senores.  The  Dona 
Dolores  showed  the  opal  to  the  hounds  of  Ixtlilxochitli. 
By  that  they  knew  that  the  victim  of  the  cycle,  that  the 
guardian  of  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac,  still  live,  and  have 
stolen  the  sacred  stone.  Cocom  aided  them  to  discover 
the  secret  way,  and  Ixtlilxochitli  will  never  forgive  that 
betrayal.  I  am  lost,  Senores.  I  will  die." 

"Esverdad!"  exclaimed  Rafael,  earnestly;  "doubtless 
the  Indians  of  Totatzine  will  try  and  kill  yon.  Cocom. 
But  in  Tlatonac,  under  the  protection  of  the  opal  flag,  you 
are  safe ! " 


FORTUNE  TURNS   HER   WHEEL.  265 

"  No,  Sefior  Maraquando!  I  will  die/'  repeated  Cocom, 
stolidly. 

'•'Not  you!"  interposed  Jack,  patting  the  old  man  on 
the  head.  "I  will  look  after  you,  my  friend.  You  saved 
iny  life;  I  will  save  yours.  A  fair  exchange !  Hark !  a  gun! " 

"  It  is  from  the  fort,"  said  Philip,  hastily  rising;  "we 
are  now  in  the  harbor.  Come  on  deck,  Jack.  We  will  be 
on  shore  in  another  twenty  minutes." 

They  at  once  went  up,  and  Jack  took  off  his  hat  with  a 
reverential  expression  when  he  saw  the  silvery  walls  of 
Tlatonac  once  more  glisten  over  the  blue  waters. 

"Thank  God,  who  has  preserved  us  through  many 
perils!" 

"Amen!"  said  Philip's  deep  voice  behind  him.  "  Oh, 
Jack ! "  he  added,  placing  his  hand  on  his  friend's  shoulder, 
with  deep  emotion,  "  if  you  only  knew  what  agonies  we 
have  undergone  thinking  of  your  fate.  When  we  found 
you  were  missing,  I  wished  to  go  back  at  any  risk,  and 
headed  the  yacht  for  the  harbor  of  Acauhtzin.  But  that 
cursed  Xuarez  turned  his  guns  on  us,  and  as  The  Bohemian 
would  have  been  smashed  to  pieces,  we  were  forced  to 
retreat.  What  a  cur  I  felt  then." 

"You  could  not  help  it,"  said  Jack,  patting  Philip's 
back  kindly.  "In  an  attempt  to  rescue  me  you  would 
only  have  lost  your  own  lives." 

"I  did  what  I  could,  Jack.  At  once  I  came  back  to 
Tlatonac,  and  implored  Don  Francisco  to  send  an  army  to 
Acauhtzin  to  your  rescue.  But  it  was  impossible.  The 
torpederas  had  not  arrived,  and  there  were  only  some 
merchant-ships  to  take  men  northward.  Defended  as 
Acauhtzin  was  by  the  war-ships,  such  an  attempt  would 
have  been  foolhardy.  We  were  forced  to  remain  inactive 
at  Tlatonac,  not  knowing  if  you  were  dead  or  alive." 

"And  then  the  war  broke  out?" 

"As  I  told  you;  Don  Hypolito,  with  his  war-ship,  is 
now  besieging  Janjalla.  Tim,  Garibay,  General  Gigedo, 
and  half  the  army  are  there  defending  it.  Tim  wanted 
to  remain  and  search  for  you ;  but  I  insisted  on  his  going, 
and  told  him  I  would  take  The  Bohemian  up  to  Acauht- 
zin, under  the  Union  Jack,  to  make  inquiries." 

"It  was  lucky  you  did  that,"  said  Jack,  with  a  grim 
smile,  "or  those  Indians  would  have  killed  or  recaptured 
us  for  sure." 


266  THE  HAKLEQUIK   OPAL. 

"  We  did  not  know  it  was  yon,"  interposed  Peter,  who 
had  been  listening — they  were  conversing  in  English. 
"  I  saw  you  first,  and  thought  it  was  only  a  canoe  of  Indi- 
ans being  chased  by  others.  Philip  thought  he  would 
help  the  supposed  Indians,  and  fired  those  guns." 

"Peter  nearly  fainted  when  we  saw  who  the  Indians 
were,"  laughed  Philip,  slipping  his  arm  within  that  of 
Jack's.  "However,  'all's  well  that  ends  well ';  and  here 
you  are,  safe  and  sound,  with  Dolores." 

"And  with  the  opal!" 

"  Good!  I  never  thought  you  would  have  got  that  stone, 
Jack.  Your  luck  holds,  old  fellow!  The  possession  of 
the  opal  will  give  confidence  to  Tlatonac.  Will  it  not, 
Rafael?" 

"  What  say  you,  Senor  Felipe?  " 

"  The  opal!    Its  possession  will  inspire  confidence?" 

"  Of  a  certainty,  mi  amigo.  Our  men  will  fight  like 
devils  now  they  know  the  fortune  of  the  Chalchuih  Tla- 
tonac is  on  the  side  of  the  Junta.  In  the  same  way  Don 
Hypolito's  soldiers  will  lose  heart." 

"  If  they  lose  the  war  that  is  all  I  care  about.  I  would 
like  to  see  that  fiend  of  a  Xuarez  punished,"  said  Jack, 
savagely.  "  By  the  way,  Philip,  I  suppose  you  got  no  sat- 
isfaction at  Acauhtzin  this  trip?" 

"No;  the  forts  opened  fire  and  would  not  let  me  enter 
the  harbor.  Luckily  the  Avar-ships  were  all  south,  as  I 
knew,  or  we  would  have  been  smashed  up." 

"  The  war-ships  are  bombarding  Jan j alia,  you  told 
me." 

"  Yes;  we  hope,  however,  that  it  will  hold  out  till  the 
torpederas  go  south." 

" Have  they  arrived?  " 

"Yonder." 

Philip  pointed  to  the  left,  and  there,  under  the  walls  of 
the  fort,  lay  two  long  black  objects,  with  stumpy  black 
funnels.  More  than  this,  a  large  ship  of  some  two 
thousand  five  hundred  tons  was  anchored  close  at  hand. 
Jack  was  astonished  to  see  the  change  in  the  port  since  he 
had  last  beheld  Tlatonac.  Then  it  was  quiet  and  peaceful 
looking;  now,  what  with  ships  and  the  two  torpedo-boats, 
black  wasps  of  the  ocean  us  they  were,  lying  under  the 
walls;  the  walls  themselves  spotted  with  the  muzzles  of 


FORTUNE  TURNS  HEit    WHEEL.  20?" 

heavy  guns;  the  glitter  of  arms  and  uniforms  outside  the 
sea-gate,  and  the  blaring  of  distant  trumpets,  the  roll  of 
drums — the  aspect  was  of  the  most  warlike  character.  He 
glanced  at  the  spiteful-looking  torpedo-boats,  and,  turning 
toward  Philip,  mutely  demanded  an  explanation. 

"You  see  Cholacaca  is  in  the  thick  of  it,"  said  the 
baronet,  gaily.  "You  have  been  away  close  on  three 
weeks,  and  during  that  time  neither  Don  Hypolito  nor  the 
Junta  have  been  idle.  The  former  has  sent  his  troops  and 
war-ships  to  Janjalla,  and  the  latter  is  busy  fixing  up  the 
torpederas  to  have  a  fight  with  The  Pizarro  and  her  con- 
sorts down  south." 

"But  that  ship?" 

"  Tlie  IturMde.  She  is  a  Cuban  mail  steamer,  requisi- 
tioned by  the  Junta,  and  turned  into  an  armed  cruiser  for 
this  war.  With  her  and  the  torpederas  Don  Hypolito's 
fleet  won't  have  such  a  pleasant  time  as  they  think." 

"Does  Don  Kafael  command  The  IturMde f" 

"I,  mi  amigo!"  cried  Rafael,  overhearing  this  question. 
"  Not  I.  Yonder  torpedo-boat  is  under  my  charge,  and 
in  that,  Don  Juan,  you  must  come  with  me." 

"When  do  you  go  south?" 

"  The  day  after  to-morrow.  At  the  same  time  regi- 
ments march  by  land  to  Gigedo,  at  Janjalla.  Oh,  the 
game  has  begun,  Juan,  and  the  opal  burns  red! " 

"It  will  now  burn  whatever  color  we  like,"  retorted 
Jack,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  I  saw  the  way  those 
priests  managed  the  trick.  It  was — " 

"  Tim  can  tell  us  all  that  in  the  patio  of  Casa  Mara- 
quando,"  interrupted  Philip,  hastily.  "  See,  the  anchor 
is  down,  so  we  had  better  go  ashore  at  once,  and  relieve 
the  minds  of  Don  Miguel  and  the  ladies." 

"Cocom  is  already  over  the  side,"  said  Peter,  pointing 
to  a  small  canoe  skimming  the  waves.  "  You  will  receive 
an  ovation  on  your  way  through  the  city." 

"  Greatness  is  thrust  upon  me,"  laughed  Jack,  who  was 
wonderfully  light-hearted  now  that  they  were  safe.  "  Where 
is  Dona  Dolores?" 

"Just  coming  on  deck.' 

The  girl  still  wore  her  Indian  dress,  as  Philip,  being  a 
bachelor,  had  no  feminine  gear  on  board.  She  had,  how- 
ever, washed  the  paint  from  her  face,  and  looked  wonder- 
fully bright  and  charming  in  her  savage  toilet, 


268  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

"  Pocahontas ! "  said  Philip,  in  Jack's  ear,  as  she 
approached.  " Lucky  man!  I  would  I  were  Capt.  John 
Smith." 

"  What  about  Eulalia?" 

' '  Oh,  I  can  tell  you  about  Eulalia,"  murmured  Doctor 
G-rench,  a  trifle  maliciously. 

"You'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort,  Peter,"  said  Philip, 
sharply.  "  I  will  tell  Jack  all  about  it  myself.  You  stick 
to  your  beetles  and  Dona  Serafina." 

"Dona  Serafina!"  cried  Dolores,  overhearing  the  name. 
"  Oh,  Senor  Felipe,  how  I  do  wish  to  see  my  dear  aunt." 

"In  a  few  minutes,  Senorita.  See,  the  boat  is  waiting. 
We  will  all  go  on  shore  at  once." 

"  There  seems  to  be  a  row  on  shore,"  remarked  Jack,  as 
they  climbed  down  the  side  of  the  yacht. 

"Dios!"  exclaimed  Eafael,  laughing.  "  Cocom  has 
told  them  all.  The  news  is  passing  from  mouth  to  mouth; 
soon  it  will  be  all  over  the  city.  Barken  to  the  cries,  mis 
amigos." 

"Vive  el  Americano!  El  opalo!  Dios  lo  pague,  Dona 
Dolores!" 

"A  shout  for  one,  a  shout  for  all /"observed  Jack,  philo- 
sophically. "  They  should  also  shout,  '  God  reward 
Cocom!'  for  without  him  we  would  not  be  here." 

They  were  welcomed  on  shore  by  a  frantic  crowd.  The 
Cholacacans  have  all  the  vivacity  and  impulsiveness  of 
southern  nature.  Nothing  do  they  love  so  much  as  a 
public  demonstration;  therefore,  on  this  occasion,  they 
gave  full  rein  to  their  enthusiasm.  In  their  eyes,  Jack 
was  a  hero,  Dolores  a  heroine,  and  accordingly  they  were 
almost  stunned  with  vociferous  applause.  The  fact  that 
the  x>pal,  that  sacred  gem  so  inextricably  interwoven  with 
the  traditions  of  the  Eepublic,  was  now  in  the  city  itself, 
wrought  them  up  to  a  pitch  of  frenzy.  With  the  Chal- 
chuih  Tlatonac  in  their  midst,  they  could  not  fail  to  con- 
quer the  rebels;  it  was  the  palladium  of  the  Eepublic,  the 
genius  of  Tlatonac,  and  by  it  would  they  be  enabled  to 
overwhelm  their  enemies.  The  superstitious  belief  they 
had  in  the  jewel  was  almost  terrible.  It  glittered  on  the 
banners  of  Cholacaca,  it  colored  the  whole  patriotic  feelings 
of  the  inhabitants.  The  opal  meant  victory  to  its  possess- 
ors, and,  lo!  they  held  it  safely  in  the  capital, 


FORTUNE   TURNS   HER   WHEEL.  26& 

Up  to  the  sea-gate  the  lovers  passed,  surrounded  by  their 
friends.  On  either  side  the  vast  crowd  heaved  like  a  great 
sea.  Constant  cries  saluted  Jack,  Dolores,  the  opal;  and 
to  show  the  public  that  Cocoin  had  spoken  truly,  Duval 
whispered  a  few  words  to  his  companion.  In  a  moment 
she  had  drawn  forth  the  gem  from  her  breast,  and  held  it 
up  in  full  sight  of  the  populace.  The  tumult  sank  to  a 
dead  stillness,  as  if  by  magic,  and  every  one  drew  a  deep 
breath  of  awe  and  admiration  as  the  splendid  jewel  flashed 
its  lightnings  in  the  sun.  A  crimson  beam  flared  forth, 
owing  to  the  position  in  which  it  was  held  by  Dolores;  it 
burned  in  her  fingers  like  a  red-hot  coal.  The  crowd,  in 
their  superstition,  took  it  as  a  sign  from  heaven,  and  burst 
out  into  frenzied  cries. 

"Guerra!  Guerra!  Elopalo!  Guerra!  Abajolosrebeledes!" 
Then  some  excited  person  began  chanting  the  national 
song  of  the  opal.     In  a  moment  the  mob  caught  at  the 
idea,  and  the  great  body  of  sound  thundered  to  the  sky. 

Kneel  at  the  shrine  while  the  future  discerning, 
See  how  the  crimson  ray  strengthens  and  glows; 

Red  as  the  sunset  the  opal  is  burning, 
Red  is  prophetic  of  death  to  our  fues. 

"I  feel  like  a  victorious  general,"  said  Jack,  smiling  at 
all  this  enthusiasm. 

"  What  a  pity  Tim  isn't  here/'  remarked  Peter,  whose 
usually  meek  eyes  were  flashing  like  stars  behind  his  spec- 
tacles; "  he  does  so  like  a  row." 

"  He'll  be  having  plenty  where  he  is,"  said  Philip, 
grimly.  "  But  look  at  that  fellow  going  to  do  the  Raleigh 
business  with  his  zarape." 

By  this  time  they  had  passed  into  the  Calle  Otumba,  and 
a  frantic  young  Spaniard,  rushing  forward,  flung  his  cloak 
on  the  ground  for  Dolores  to  walk  across.  The  idea 
pleased  the  people,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  whole  way 
up  to  the  Casa  Maraquando  was  spread  with  zarapes.  Then 
flowers  were  flung  before  them  in  profusion. 

"  The  primrose  path  of  dalliance,"  quoth  Philip,  laugh- 
ing. "  I  hope  these  excited  people  won't  throw  their 
bodies  next  for  us  to  walk  over.  Don't  be  afraid,  Dona 
Dolores.  You  have  your  guard  of  honor  to  protect  you." 

Indeed,  this  frenzied  demonstration  rather  scared  the 


270  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

girl.  All  the  color  faded  out  of  her  face,  and  slipping  the 
opal  into  her  bosom,  she  shrank  terrified  against  her  lover. 
Jack  took  her  arm  within  his  own,  and  his  touch  gave  her 
more  confidence;  but  what  with  the  singing,  shouting, 
cloak-flinging,  flower-throwing,  and  what  not,  they  both 
felt  quite  worn  out,  and  were  not  at  all  sorry  to  at  length 
arrive  at  the  door  of  the  Casa  Maraquando. 

The  news  of  their  arrival  had  preceded  them,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  and  Don  Miguel,  with  outstretched  arms, 
was  waiting  in  the  gateway  to  receive  them.  Dolores,  with 
a  cry  of  delight,  flung  herself  on  the  breast  of  her  uncle, 
who  at  once  carried  her  into  the  patio.  Then  the  rest  of 
the  party  followed,  and  the  doors  were  shut  against  the 
mob,  which  still  remained  in  the  street  terribly  excited. 
After  a  time  the  tumult  quieted  down  like  a  sea  after  a 
storm,  and  the  throng  streamed  into  the  Plaza  de  los  Hom- 
bres  Ilustres  to  organize  a  demonstration  to  the  honor  and 
glory  of  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac  and  its  guardian. 

In  the  patio  Dolores  was  received  with  noisy  demonstra- 
tions by  Dona  Serafina,  and  with  joyful  tears  by  Eulalia. 
It  was  some  time,  however,  before  Don  Miguel  could  part 
from  his  niece,  for  he  held  her  to  his  breast,  calling  upon  all 
the  saints  to  shower  blessings  on  her  head.  Never  had  the 
stately  Spaniard  been  so  moved;  and  when  he  delivered  his 
niece  over  to  the  tender  embraces  of  Serafina  and  Eulalia, 
he  turned  toward  Jack,  with  tears  in  his  eyes. 

"  Senor  Juan/'  he  said,  in  a  voice  of  emotion,  grasping 
the  young  man's  hand,  ' '  I  can  never  repay  you  for  what 
you  have  done.  From  this  moment  you  may  command  the 
services,  the  lives,  of  myself  and  those  dear  to  me." 

He  could  say  no  more,  but,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand, 
walked  to  the  other  end  of  the  court  to  conceal  his  emo- 
tion. Jack  was  scarcely  less  moved,  and  as  for  Dolores, 
she  was  being  overwhelmed  by  her  cousin  and  aunt. 

"Dear  one,"  chattered  the  old  lady,  noisily;  "now  that 
thou  art  safe,  I  vow  twenty  candles  to  the  Virgin,  who  has 
thus  watched  over  thee,  and  to  San  Juan,  who  is  the 
patron  saint  of  your  preserver. " 

"I,  also!"  cried  Eulalia,  who  had  in  some  mysterious 
way  become  possessed  of  the  history.  "I  vow  a  jewel  to 
San  Felipe,  for  it  was  his  namesake  who  preserved  them 
from  the  Indians." 


FORTUNE  TURNS   HER    WHEEL.  271 

Jack  and  Philip  were  much  gratified  by  these  marks  of 
attention;  but  Peter,  being  left  out  in  the  cold,  was 
inclined  to  be  cross. 

"  They  might  vow  a  candle  or  so  to  San  Pedro,"  he 
grumbled,  "  seeing  the  whole  Church  of  Rome  is  under  his 
care." 

"  Offer  him  some  beetles,  Peter,"  said  Jack,  in  the  little 
doctor's  ear;  but  the  suggestion  was  not  received  favorably 
by  the  entomologist. 

Having  wept  and  cried  over  Dolores  to  their  hearts'  con- 
tent, the  ladies  proceeded  to  lead  her  away  to  resume  her 
own  dress;  but  before  doing  so,  both  aunt  and  niece  flung 
themselves  on  Jack's  neck  and  embraced  him  with  fervor. 
Duval  did  not  mind  a  kiss  from  Eulalia,  but  he  objected  to 
the  aunt.  Nevertheless,  as  he  had  to  take  the  bitter  with 
the  sweet,  he  passively  submitted  to  be  made  much  of. 

"  Caro,  Senor!  You  are  an  angel  from  heaven,"  cried 
Serafina,  with  fervor. 

"  As  valiant  as  the  Cid,"  said  Eulalia,  kissing  Jack's 
bronzed  cheek. 

"We  will  pray  for  you  to  the  saints." 

"  Your  face  will  be  my  soul! " 

This  last  remark  came  from  Eulalia,  whereat  Philip 
winced.  Seeing  this,  Jack  brought  the  duet  to  a  speedy  end. 

"I  am  your  servant,  Senoritas!  What  I  have  done 
is  nothing,  and  thanks  are  rather  due  to  Cocom  than  to 
me." 

"But  without  you,  Don  Juan,  Cocom  could  not  have 
saved  Dolores." 

"  And  without  the  boat  of  Senor  Felipe,"  added  Eulalia, 
glancing  at  the  baronet,  "none  of  the  three  would  be 
here." 

Philip  made  a  polite  gesture  of  dissent,  though  in  his 
heart  he  was  glad  that  Eulalia  inclined  so  kindly  toward 
him.  Then  Jack  kissed  the  hands  of  the  ladies  in  a  most 
gallant  fashion,  and  they,  after  removing  Dolores  once 
more  from  the  arms  of  Don  Miguel,  whither  she  had  flown, 
led  her  out  of  the  patio.  This  being  done,  while  waiting 
for  the  evening  meal,  Don  Miguel  demanded  from  Jack  an 
account  of  his  adventures,  a  request  which  was  at  once 
seconded  by  Philip,  Rafael,  and  Peter,  who  protested  that 
they  could  listen  to  a  dozen  repetitions  of  his  hairbreadth 


272  THE  HARLEQUIN"  OPAL. 

escapes.  Thus  adjured,  Jack,  with  as  much  suppression 
of  himself  as  possible,  narrated  the  events  which  had  taken 
place  from  the  earliest  period  of  his  capture  by  Xuarez 
down  to  the  present  time  when  he  was  rescued  by  Philip. 
Frequently  the  story  was  interrupted  by  ejaculations  from 
his  auditors,  and  by  the  time  the  story  was  finished  they 
were  all  furious  with  Don  Hypolito,  particularly  Senor 
Maraquando. 

"To  think,  Senor,"  he  cried,  indignantly,  "that  I  have 
touched  the  hand  of  that  man.  Carambo!  To  give  up  a 
white  man  to  the  cursed  altar  of  Huitzilopochtli.  It  is 
infamous.  It  is  unheard-of  I" 

" But  you  forget,  Senor,  he  is  a  pure-blooded  Indian." 

"I  ever  thought  so,"  said  Rafael,  sagely.  "  There  were 
many  ways  about  Xuarez,  my  father,  that  were  not  those 
of  a  Spaniard." 

"Indian  or  no  Indian,"  growled  Philip,  clenching  his 
fist,  "if  I  get  within  striking  distance  of  the  scoundrel,  I 
won't  leave  a  whole  bone  in  his  body." 

"  Nor  will  I,"  said  the  meek  Peter,  fiercely;  "  fancy  him 
wanting  to  lay  Jack  out  on  a  jasper  stone  like  a  corpse  on 
a  dissecting-table." 

"Be  quiet,  you  Chamber  of  Horrors,"  said  the  baronet, 
angrily;  "don't  mention  such  a  thing." 

"  There  is  one  great  good  gained  out  of  much  evil," 
observed  Don  Miguel,  reflectively;  "the  possession  of  the 
opal  strengthens  us  greatly  against  Xuarez." 

"How  so?"  asked  Philip,  curiously. 

"  Because  this  priest,  Ixtlilxochitli,  will  not  be  able  to 
manage  the  Indians  for  him  without  the  stone." 

"I  am  afraid,  Senor,  the  mischief  is  done,"  said  Jack, 
gravely;  "  the  opal  declared  war,  and  now  the  Indians 
will  join  Don  Hypolito." 

"It's  a  pity  we  can't  get  up  a  counter  prophecy,  and 
make  the  opal  declare  peace,"  remarked  Philip,  quietly; 
"  Then  the  Indians  would  take  no  part  in  the  war." 

"I  fancy  that  is  impossible,"  said  Miguel,  shaking  his 
head.  "I  would  it  could  be  so.  If  the  Indians  would 
only  keep  quiet,  Xuarez  would  find  great  difficulty  in 
accomplishing  his  plans.  Should  Janjalla  fall,  and  Xuarez 
concentrate  his  own  men  and  the  Indians  before  Tlatonac, 
it  will  be  hard  to  beat  them  back." 


FORTUNE  TUKNS   HEK   WHEEL.  273 

"Janj alia  will  not  fall/'  cried  Eafael,  in.  a  fiery  tone; 
"  there  are  brave  men  defending  it.  They  will  hold  out 
till  reinforced.  The  regiments  march  southward  to-mor- 
row, the  torpederas  and  The  Iturbide  go  the  next  day,  and 
between  the  two  we  will  conquer  these  rebels." 

"We  will  try,  at  all  events,  my  son,"  said  Maraquando, 
smiling  at  the  young  man's  enthusiasm;  "  but,  meanwhile, 
it  is  best  to  look  at  both  sides  of  the  question." 

"  With  the  opal  stone  in  Tlatonac,  we  can  not  fail," 
declared  Jack.  "You  have  seen  it,  Senor  Maraquando?  " 

"Not  yet.    Dolores  was  too  agitated  to  show  it  to  me." 

"  Here  is  iny  cousin,"  said  Rafael,  rising  to  his  feet. 
"  She  brings  the  opal  with  her." 

Before  he  finished  the  sentence,  Dolores,  now  arrayed  in 
her  European  dress,  entered  the  patio,  followed  by  Dona 
Serafina  and  Eulalia  uttering  cries  of  admiration.  In  her 
hand  she  carried  the  Harlequin  Opal,  which  glittered 
faintly  in  the  dim  light. 

"  See,  uncle! "  cried  Dolores,  placing  the  gem  in  Mara- 
quando's  hand;  "I  give  you  the  luck  of  Tlatonac." 

"So  this  is  the  famous  stone?"  said  Miguel,  gazing  at 
the  wonderful  play  of  colors;  "  I  do  not  wonder  it  is  held 
sacred.  So  beautiful  a  jewel  I  have  never  yet  beheld." 

"  There,  Senor  Maraquando,  I  disagree  with  you," 
observed  Jack,  in  a  nervous  voice;  "there  is  a  jewel  still 
more  beautiful  in  my  eyes — Dolores ! " 

Don  Miguel  started  and  stared  in  amazement  at  the 
young  couple,  who  were  now  standing  hand  in  hand  before 
him.  He  could  not  understand  the  meaning  of  either  the 
attitude  or  speech. 

"My  brother,"  whispered  Serafina,  seizing  the  situation 
with  feminine  quickness,  "  it  is  love!  " 

"Yes,"  said  Jack,  firmly,  "it  is  love.  I  have  wor- 
shiped your  niece  these  many  months,  Senor  Maraquando, 
but  I  dared  not  tell  you  of  that  love,  seeing  I  was  an 
Englishman,  a  heretic.  Now,  however,  if  I  have  done  any- 
thing to  deserve  your  gratitude,  I  ask  you,  in  the  presence 
of  my  friends,  to  give  your  consent  to  the  marriage  of 
Dolores  and  myself." 

Don  Miguel  was  silent  for  a  few  moments,  and  then 
turned  slowly  toward  his  niece. 

"  Do  you  love  Don  Juan,  Dolores?  " 

18 


274  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

She  raised  her  head  and  looked,  not  at  her  questioner,  but 
at  Jack. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied,  simply;  "  I  have  loved  him  this 
long  time." 

"  Senor,"  said  Maraquando,  with  great  dignity,  "it  is 
true  you  are  not  of  our  race;  but  during  the  time  I  have 
known  you  I  have  seen  nothing  in  you  but  what  I  admire 
and  respect.  In  rescuing  my  niece  from  the  Shrine  of  the 
Opal  at  Totatzine,  you  have  acted  like  a  chivalrous  gentle- 
man. To  your  marriage  I  gladly  give  my  consent.  Take 
Dolores  as  your  wife,  Senor,  and  with  her  this." 

He  held  out  for  Jack's  acceptance  the  Harlequin  Opal. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


AWAY  TO  THE  FRONT. 

One  kiss!  'tis  our  last  one;  the  horses  await, 

And  swift  through  the  midnight  I  ride  to  my  fate. 

'Tis  life  for  thy  lover,  or  death  it  may  be; 

But  living  or  dying,  my  thought  is  for  thee. 

Who  knows  when  my  arms  shall  enfold  thee  again? 

The  future  hides  ever  its  joy  and  its  pain. 

I  leave  thee  for  battle,  my  dear  one,  my  bride, 

And  on,  through  the  darkness,  I  ride,  and  I  ride. 

Light  hand  on  the  bridle,  light  heart  in  my  breast, 
A  bunch  of  your  ribbons  flaunt  gay  on  my  crest. 
I  go  not  in  sorrow,  but  hasten  with  glee, 
To  fight  for  my  country,  my  honor,  and  thee. 
Soon  wilt  thou  in  triumph  behold  me,  my  sweet, 
Return  with  my  laurels  to  cast  at  thy  feet. 
I  dream  of  a  future  with  thee  by  my  side, 
As  on,  through  the  darkness,  I  ride,  and  I  ride. 

Jack's  position  was  now  similar  to  that  of  Tantalus. 
Love  was  within  his  reach,  yet  he  dared  not  grasp  it, 
for  on  the  next  day  he  was  to  depart  with  Don  Eafael  for 
Janjalla,  in  the  torpedera  Montezuma.  Peter  had  also 
been  invited  to  visit  the  seat  of  war,  and  although  a  man 
of  peace,  decided  to  go,  as  he  was  anxious  about  Tim. 
That  redoubtable  warrior  was  at  Janjalla  with  General 
Gigedo,  busily  engaged  in  wiring  sensational  accounts  of 
the  siege  to  The  Morning  Planet.  Tim  was  particularly 
anxious  that  Janjalla  should  not  fall  into  the  hands  of 
Don  Hypolito,  as  it  was  the  spot  whence  started  the  tele- 
graph-wires for  the  south.  If  Xuarez  captured  the  town, 
the  forces  of  the  Junta  would  be  driven  back  to  Tlatonac, 
and  as  likely  as  not  the  wires  would  be  cut  by  the  rebels; 
therefore  Tim  would  be  unable  to  transmit  news  to  Eng- 
land. As  it  was,  he  made  good  use  of  his  time  and  took 
full  possession  of  the  telegraph  office  in  Janjalla. 

As  to  Philip,  he  decided  to  march  by  land  with  the 
Begimiento  de  los  Caballeros,  of  which  corps  he  was  now 

(275) 


276  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

an  officer.  Colonel  Garibay,  the  commander  of  the  regi- 
ment, was  already  at  Janjalla,  having  been  sent  there  by 
President  Gomez  on  a  special  message  to  General  Gigedo. 
The  regiment  was  therefore  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Velez,  who  was  a  great  admirer  of  Philip  and  made  much 
of  him.  Altogether  reinforcements  amounting  to  close  on 
a  thousand  men  were  now  on  their  way  south,  to  assist 
General  Gigedo  in  holding  Jan j alia,  and  the  torpederas,  in 
company  with  the  armed  cruiser  IturMde,  were  to  proceed 
there  by  sea,  in  order  to  destroy,  if  possible,  the  three 
ships  of  the  enemy  now  bombarding  the  town. 

There  was  no  doubt  that  the  war  had  begun  badly  for 
the  Junta,  but  this  was  the  fault  of  President  Gomez.  A 
more  obstinate  man  never  existed ;  and  having  made  up  his 
mind  that  Xuarez  would  attack  Tlatonac  without  delay,  he 
had  foolishly  withdrawn  the  garrison  from  Janjalla,  Puebla 
de  los  Naranjos,  Chichimec,  and  other  towns,  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  capital.  It  was  in  vain  that  Don  Miguel, 
warned  by  his  son,  represented  that  it  was  more  than  prob- 
able Xuarez  would  attack  Janjalla  first,  in  order  to  con- 
centrate his  troops  in  the  south,  and  so  march  them  across 
the  plains  to  Tlatonac.  The  President  refused  to  take  this 
view  of  the  matter,  and  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  garri- 
sons left  the  whole  of  Southern  Cholacaca  in  an  unpro- 
tected condition. 

The  effect  of  this  policy  was  most  disastrous.  Warned 
by  his  spies  that  but  a  feeble  defense  could  be  offered  by 
Janjalla,  Don  Hypolito  sent  southward,  without  delay, 
transports  filled  with  troops,  and  a  convoy  of  the  three  Avar- 
ships.  He  hoped  to  capture  and  garrison  Janjalla  with 
his  own  men  before  the  Junta  became  aware  of  his  design, 
and  thus  secure  an  important  town  as  the  basis  of  his  opera- 
tions. At  Acauhtzin  he  was  hemmed  in  by  mountains, 
unable  to  march  his  troops  overland  to  the  capital;  but  in 
the  south,  between  Janjalla  and  Tlatonac,  were  vast  alluvial 
plains,  over  which  he  could  lead  his  army.  It  was  his 
intention  to  effect  a  conjunction  with  the  Forest  Indians 
before  the  walls  of  the  Opal  City,  and  having  ordered  his 
war-ships  to  bombard  it  by  sea,  thus  attack  the  capital  on 
two  sides  at  once.  Between  two  fires,  he  deemed  that  the 
city  would  speedily  yield. 

Becoming  aware  that  the  war-ships  had  gone  south,  Don 


AWAY  TO  THE   FRONT.  277 

Francisco  speedily  saw  how  foolishly  he  had  acted,  and 
ordered  five  hundred  men  to  at  once  proceed  to  Janjalla  to 
defend  it  against  the  rebels.  He  sent  back  the  troops  to 
garrison  the  inland  towns,  and  thus  hoped  to  stretch  a  bar- 
rier between  the  rebels  and  the  capital.  The  whole  danger 
lay  in  the  south,  for  as  yet  the  Indians  were  quiet,  and  no 
rising  was  apprehended  on  their  part,  though  Jack  Avas 
doubtful  as  to  the  advisability  of  trusting  to  appearances. 
He  quite  believed  that  the  campaign  would  be  conducted 
by  Xuarez  as  had  been  prophesied  by  Don  Eafael,  and 
could  not  help,  deploring  that  such  an  incompetent  man  as 
Gomez  was  at  the  head  of  affairs. 

"  If  he  would  only  leave  things  alone,  and  not  inter- 
fere," he  said  to  Philip,  on  the  eve  of  departure.  "His 
generals  know  more  about  warfare  than  he  does.  The 
man's  an  ass." 

' '  I'm  with  you  there,"  replied  Philip,  heartily;  "  he  has 
made  a  muddle  of  things  already.  Who  but  an  ass  would 
send  only  five  hundred  men  to  Janjalla,  when  it  is  about 
to  be  bombarded  by  three  men-of-war  and  attacked  by  two 
thousand  rebel  troops?  Even  this  reinforcement  is  not 
strong  enough.  Sending  his  troops  southward  in  these 
driblets  will  end  in  their  being  cut  to  pieces.  I  would 
not  be  surprised  if  even  now  Xuarez  is  in  possession  of 
Janjalla;  and  with  such  a  basis  for  operations,  he  will 
make  it  hot  for  the  Republic." 

"  What  do  you  think  ought  to  have  been  done?  " 

"I  was  speaking  to  Colonel  Garibay,  and  we  both  came 
to  the  same  conclusion.  Don  Francisco  ought  to  have 
taken  the  warning  of  Rafael,  and  concentrated  most  of  the 
troops  at  Janjalla.  The  capital  is  well  defended  by  its 
forts,  and  can  look  after  itself.  Janjalla,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  in  no  fit  state  of  defense  to  resist  the  heavy  guns 
of  three  ships  pounding  at  its  walls.  As  I  take  it,  the  great 
aim  should  be  to  prevent  Don  Hypolito  from  getting  a 
footing  in  the  south  by  capturing  Janjalla.  Then  he  will 
have  nothing  but  the  sea  and  Acauhtzin  for  a  field  of 
operations.  In  the  north,  owing  to  the  mountains,  he  can 
do  nothing,  and  now  we  have  the  torpederas,  he  can  not 
have  it  all  his  own  way  at  sea." 

"Well,  and  suppose  he  captures  Janjalla?" 

Philip  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
18 


278  THE  HARLEQUIN   Of>AL. 

"  The  result  is  plain  enough.  Instead  of  mountains 
between  this  and  Tlatonac,  he  has  nothing  but  plains  on 
which  he  can  maneuver  his  troops.  He  will  either  capture 
the  intervening  towns  or  seduce  them  to  his  cause.  Then 
he  will  arrive  at  Tlatonac,  and  while  he  is  besieging  it  from 
the  inland,  his  fleet  will  bombard  it  from  the  sea." 

' '  That  is  if  the  torpederas  don't  sink  his  ships." 

"Of  course!  I  am  talking  of  the  campaign  from 
Don  Hypolito's  point  of  view.  But  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain, if  he  captures  Janjalla,  this  war  may  be  prolonged 
for  months.  Think  of  the  ruin  that  will  mean  to  the 
country." 

Philip  spoke  truly.  Hitherto  Cholacaca  had  enjoyed 
immunity  from  the  horrors  of  war.  From  the  year  1840, 
when,  under  the  leadership  of  Zuloaga,  the  Republic  had 
thrown  off  the  yoke  of  Spain,  there  had  been  peace  for  a 
period  of  forty-five  years.  Those  fratricidal  wars  which 
constantly  convulsed  the  communities  of  South  America 
were  not  to  be  found  in  the  history  of  Cholacaca.  The 
Republic  kept  well  within  her  borders,  was  at  peace  with 
her  neighbors,  and,  under  the  control  of  wise  rulers,  devoted 
herself  to  improving  her  material  condition. 

It  was  true  that  a  greater  part  of  the  country  consisted 
of  wild  forests  filled  with  unconquered  Indians,  but  the 
Cholacacans  had  always  been  able  to  keep  these  savages 
at  bay.  The  coast-line  of  the  north,  the  immense  alluvial 
plains  of  the  south,  were  thoroughly  civilized,  and  covered 
with  thriving  towns.  The  two  secondary  capitals,  Jan- 
jalla  in  the  south,  Acauhtzin  in  the  north,  looked  up  to 
and  respected  their  powerful  sister  city,  Tlatonac,  who 
held  her  seat  in  the  central  portion  of  the  sea-board.  Yet 
it  must  be  admitted  that  they  bore  a  grudge  against  her, 
as  nearly  all  the  commerce  of  the  country  poured  into  her 
walls,  from  thence  to  be  distributed  over  the  civilized 
world.  Why  should  Tlatonac  be  the  capital  when  they 
were  each  equally  suited  for  the  post?  They  had  rich 
countries  behind  them;  they  exported  goods  far  and  wide; 
they  had  their  municipal  institutions,  their  walls,  ram- 
parts, palaces,  and  magnificent  churches.  Why,  there- 
fore, should  they  be  forced  to  send  their  ships  to  the  port 
of  Tlatonac,  there  to  pay  toll  and  custom  duties?  The 
Junta  had  constituted  Tlatonac  the  starting-point  of 


AWAY   TO   THE   FKONT.  279 

all  vessels,  and,  according  to  law,  ships  from  the  north  and 
south  were  forced,  both  in  going  and  coming,  to  report 
themselves  at  the  capital.  By  this  means  Tlatonac  dom- 
inated her  sister  cities  and  held  them  firmly  under  her 
thumb. 

The  reason  that  Tlatonac  was  chosen  to  be  the  capital 
by  Zuloaga  was  very  plain.  It  was  situated  in  the  center 
of  the  coast-line,  and  thus  commanded  equally  the  north 
and  the  south.  It  had  been  the  shrine  of  the  opal,  and 
the  traditions  of  that  stone  were  closely  interwoven  with 
the  history  of  the  country.  Greatest  reason  of  all,  the 
harbor  was  the  finest  in  Cholacaca.  Moreover,  roads  from 
most  of  the  inland  towns  diverged  to  the  capital,  thus 
rendering  communication  easy;  while  Jan  jail  a,  environed 
by  swamps,  and  Acauhtzin,  girdled  by  forests,  were  more 
or  less  shut  off  from  the  heart  of  the  country.  When 
inland  traders  could  transport  their  goods  to  Tlatonac  at 
half  the  cost  they  could  take  them  to  either  of  the  other 
two  towns,  it  was  not  likely,  from  a  commercial  point  of 
view,  that  they  would  ever  forsake  the  capital.  Under  the 
circumstances  it  can  well  be  seen  that  Gomez  had  good 
reason  to  doubt  the  fidelity  of  Janjalla.  The  northern 
town  had,  through  jealousy  of  Tlatonac,  sided  with  the 
rebels,  and  it  was  just  possible  that  the  southern  city 
might  follow  suit.  The  only  thing  in  favor  of  Janjalla 
remaining  faithful  was,  that  while  both  towns  were  jealous 
of  the  capital,  they  were  equally  jealous  of  one  another. 
The  populace  of  Jaujalla  knew  well  that  if  Xuarez 
conquered  he  would  transfer  the  seat  of  Government  to 
Acauhtzin,  out  of  gratitude  for  its  help,  and  would 
certainly  not  assist  a  cause  calculated  to  elevate  a  rival 
city. 

The  Republic  was  very  wealthy.  She  exported  tobacco, 
coffee,  cacao,  cotton,  rice,  maize,  and  cattle.  Her  plains 
were  covered  with  grain,  her  mountains  were  rich  in  ores, 
and  her  population  extremely  industrious.  With  the 
exception  of  the  area  covered  by  the  forests,  the  whole 
country  was  cultivated,  and  now  the  formation  of  a  railway 
through  the  forests  up  to  Acauhtzin  promised  the  open- 
ing up  of  the  northern  lands.  Already  fifty  miles  of  rail- 
way had  pierced  the  enormous  belt  of  timber  lying  between 
Acauhtzin  and  the  capital.  From  the  main  line,  branches 


280  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

were  to  extend  to  the  different  towns,  so  as  to  connect 
them  with  the  seat  of  Government.  Unfortunately,  all 
this  promise  of  prosperity  was  now  interrupted  by  the 
war. 

There  was  no  doubt  that  Don  Hypolito  was  a  source  of 
infinite  trouble  to  the  country.  This  Indian,  coming  from 
the  sacred  city  of  Totatzine,  was  now  revenging  himself  on 
the  descendants  of  the  Conquistadores  for  their  treatment 
of  his  ancestors.  He  had  no  genuine  cause  for  dissatisfac- 
tion, as  at  the  time  when  he  raised  the  standard  of  revolt 
the  country  was  thoroughly  prosperous.  The  wealth 
gained  by  the  exports  of  the  Republic  was  used  by  her 
Presidents  to  open  up  the  interior  of  the  continent,  and  to 
supply  Tlatonac  with  all  the  refinements  of  civilization. 
The  army  was  well  drilled,  well  clothed,  well  armed.  The 
walls  of  the  city  were  built  on  the  most  approved  system 
of  engineering  science,  the  principal  squares  were  lighted 
by  electricity,  millions  had  been  expended  on  drainage,  in 
the  formation  of  interior  roads,  in  the  construction  of  the 
proposed  railway  to  Acauhtzin.  The  Republic  had  even 
formed  the  nucleus  of  a  navy,  and  had  already  three  war- 
ships in  hand  and  two  torpederas  coming  when  the  war 
broke  out. 

Now  the  war-ships  had  revolted  to  Xuarez,  the  northern 
capital  was  bound  to  his  cause,  and  this  ambitious  Indian, 
assuming  the  name  and  race  of  a  Spaniard,  had  plunged 
the  country  into  what  promised  to  be  a  disastrous  war. 
The  effect  was  ruinous.  Business  was  at  a  standstill, 
exports  were  stopped,  the  capital  was  declared  in  a  state  of 
siege,  and  the  whole  country  resounded  with  the  tramp  of 
armies,  the  clash  of  arms*  the  thunder  of  cannon.  Indus- 
try was  paralyzed,  and  many  of  the  country-people  crowd- 
ing to  the  capital,  rendered  food  dear.  To  avoid  the  hor- 
hors  of  famine  and  ruin  which  threatened  the  Republic,  it 
was  absolutely  necessary  that  Xuarez  should  be  crushed  at 
once. 

President  Gomez  was  no  warrior,  certainly;  but  he  was 
a  judicious  ruler — in  time  of  peace.  He  saw  at  once  the 
terrible  calamities  likely  to  ensue  should  the  war  be  pro- 
longed, and  already  regretted  his  folly  in  not  taking  the 
advice  of  Don  Miguel.  So  far  as  was  possible,  he  repaired 
his  mistakes.  A  thousand  men  were  sent  to  the  relief  of 


AWAY   TO  THE   FRONT.  281 

Jaujalla  by  land,  and  The  Iturbide,  in  company  with  the 
torpederas,  left  for  the  seat  of  war  by  sea.  If  the  rein- 
forcements could  succor  Jan j alia  in  time,  if  the  torpe- 
deras  could  sink  the  rebel  ships,  then  there  would  be  some 
hope  of  the  war  being  brought  to  a  speedy  conclusion. 
But  as  it  was,  the  whole  danger  lay  in  the  probability  of 
Don  Hypolito  capturing  Janjalla,  from  whence  he  could 
threaten  the  capital  and  intervening  towns. 

Jack  was  very  anxious  that  Philip  should  come  with  him 
in  The  Montezuma,  but  the  baronet  was  obstinately  set  on 
going  with  his  regiment. 

"  I  will  be  in  Janjalla  before  you,  Jack;  for  between  you 
and  the  town  lie  the  war-ships,  while  we  have  but  to  march 
across  those  easy  plains  in  safety." 

"  Yes,  if  the  Indians  don't  stop  you." 

" Nonsense;  there  is  no  chance  of  that." 

"  I  am  not  so  certain,  Philip.  Don  Hypolito  has  his 
spies,  as  you  know;  and  when  he  hears  that  reinforcements 
are  advancing  southward,  he  will  probably  send  word  to 
Ixtlilxochitli  to  have  them  intercepted.  As  you  know,  the 
plains  are  fringed  to  the  west  by  the  forests,  so  the  Indians 
could  break  out  from  thence,  and  perhaps  exterminate  the 
troops." 

"What!  Exterminate  a  thousand  soldiers  armed  with 
rifles  ?  Impossible !  " 

"  Well,  it  does  seem  impossible.  However,  as  you  won't 
come  with  me,  go  as  you  please.  We  will  meet  at 
Janjalla." 

"  Of  course.  I  will  see  you  from  the  walls  being  chased 
by  The  Pizarro  and  The  Cortes." 

They  were  talking  in  the  patio  of  the  Casa  Maraquando, 
and  Philip  was  tricked  out  in  all  the  bravery  of  his  uni- 
form. He  looked  remarkably  handsome,  and  Eulalia 
sighed  as  she  thought  he  was  about  to  leave  her.  All 
coquetry  had  been  laid  aside,  and  she  had  confessed  that 
she  was  deeply  in  love  with  the  Americano.  Philip  fully 
returned  her  affection,  and  intended,  on  returning  from 
Janjalla,  to  ask  Don  Miguel  to  permit  them  to  be  married 
on  the  same  day  as  Jack  and  Dolores.  Turning  away  from 
Jack  he  caught  sight  of  Eulalia's  pensive  face,  and  heard 
her  plaintive  little  sigh.  In  an  instant  he  was  by  her 
side. 


282  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

'•Querida/'  he  whispered,  tenderly,  "you  must  not  be 
sad.  I  go  forth  to  bring  home  laurels  to  lay  at  your 
feet." 

"  I  would  rather  you  were  at  my  feet,  Felipe/'  sobbed 
Eulalia.  "  This  horrid  war!  I  am  sure  you  will  be  killed, 
and  then  I  shall  die.  Oh  yes,  mi  alma,  I  shall  assuredly 
die." 

They  were  standing  in  a  secluded  corner  of  the  patio. 
Neither  Don  Miguel  nor  Serafina  were  in  sight,  so  Philip, 
taking  advantage  of  the  situation,  kissed  Eulalia  once, 
twice,  thrice.  It  was  true  Jack  and  Dolores  were  not  far 
off,  but  they  were  too  busy  with  each  other  to  take  much 
notice.  Eulalia  sobbed  on  Philip's  breast;  vowed  she 
would  die  if  he  left  her;  told  him  to  march  forth  and  be  a 
hero  at  once;  commanded  him  to  remain  at  Tlatonac; 
ordered  him  to  depart  for  Jan j alia;  and  thus  contradicting 
herself  every  moment,  smiled  and  wept  in  turns.  Finally 
she  produced  a  little  gold  cross. 

' '  This  is  for  thee,  my  own  one,"  she  whispered,  slipping 
it  into  his  hand.  "  It  has  been  blessed  by  Padre  Ignatius. 
Naught  can  hurt  thee  while  the  sacred  thing  is  on  thy 
heart/; 

Philip  kissed  the  cross,  kissed  Eulalia,  and  swore  he 
would  never  part  with  it  throughout  the  campaign.  In 
the  middle  of  their  tender  leave-taking,  a  trumpet  pealed 
forth  in  the  Plaza  de  los  Hombres  Ilustres.  It  was  the 
signal  for  departure. 

"I  must  go!  Farewell,  my  dear  one.  Watch  from  the 
azotea,  and  let  your  face  be  the  last  thing  I  behold  in 
Tlatonac." 

"  Adios,  mi  alma,"  murmured  Eulalia,  and  embraced 
him  fondly,  after  which,  Philip,  turning  hastily  away, 
shook  hands  with  Jack,  and  kissed  the  hands  of  Dolores 
and  Serafina,  the  latter  of  whom  had  just  entered  the  patio. 

"Adieu,  dear  ladies.  Good-by,  Jack.  Take  care  of 
yourself,  and  don't  be  carried  off  to  any  more  Indian  cities. 
We  meet  at  Philippi.  Adios!" 

With  a  wave  of  his  hand  he  was  gone,  and  Jack  escorted 
the  ladies  to  the  azotea  to  watch  the  regiments  departing. 
The  Plaza  was  crowded  with  soldiers  and  women,  the 
latter  taking  tearful  leave  of  those  marching  to  the  front. 
President  Gomez,  attended  by  a  brilliant  staff,  among 


AWAY   TO  THE   FEONT.  283 

which  Jack  saw  Don  Miguel  and  his  son,  made  a  speech 
full  of  fire  and  patriotism,  which  caused  the  utmost 
enthusiasm.  Then  the  banners  of  the  different  regiments 
were  unfurled,  the  bands  began  to  play  the  March  of 
Zuloaga,  and  the  soldiers  began  to  file  out  of  the  square  by 
the  Calle  Otumba. 

Eegiment  after  regiment  marched  past,  through  streets 
wreathed  with  flowers,  amid  tears,  cheers,  and  wavings  of 
handkerchiefs.  The  house-tops  were  crowded  with  ladies 
looking  down  on  the  troops.  They  made  a  gallant  show 
as  they  tramped  along  with  waving  plumes  and  glittering 
arms.  The  cavalry  soldiers  came  first,  and  those  on  the 
azotea  of  the  Casa  Maraquando  saw  Sir  Philip  riding  by 
the  side  of  Captain  Velez,  at  the  head  of  the  Kegimiento 
de  los  Caballeros.  The  banners  streamed  in  the  air,  the 
horses  champed  their  bits  and  proudly  pawed  the  earth, 
and,  one  vast  rainbow  of  hues,  this  splendid  body  of  men 
moved  majestically  past.  Philip  was  riding  with  his  drawn 
sword  sloping  over  his  shoulder,  and  as  he  passed  the  Casa 
Maraquando,  looked  up  and  saluted  the  ladies.  Eulalia 
hastily  snatching  a  bunch  of  jasmine  from  her  breast,  let 
it  drop  when  he  was  directly  underneath.  The  baronet 
dexterously  caught  it,  and  pressing  a  kiss  on  the  blossoms, 
fastened  them  in  his  jacket.  In  another  minute  or  so,  he 
disappeared  round  the  corner  of  the  street  on  the  way  to 
the  Puerta  de  la  Culebra,  from  whence  the  troops  marched 
southward  to  Janjalla. 

After  the  disappearance  of  Philip,  Eulalia  took  no  fur- 
ther interest  in  the  proceedings  of  the  day  and  retired  to 
her  room,  followed  by  Dolores,  who  strove  to  console  her. 
Jack,  not  caring  for  the  sole  companionship  of  Dona  Sera- 
fina,  excused  himself  on  the  plea  that  he  wanted  to  ride 
after  the  troops,  and  give  Philip  a  message  to  Tim.  Dona 
Serafina  graciously  permitted  him  to  depart,  and  he  dashed 
out  of  the  house,  flung  himself  on  his  horse,  which  was 
waiting  at  the  door,  and  was  about  to  ride  toward  the 
Puerta  de  la  Culebra,  when  Don  Rafael  came  riding  at  full 
speed  out  of  the  Plaza.  The  young  man  seemed  much 
excited,  and  in  his  headlong  rush  knocked  down  two  or 
three  people,  so  crowded  was  the  street.  Never  heeding 
their  cries,  he  raced  past  Jack,  waving  his  hand. 

"To  The  Montezuma,  mi  amigo!  News  of  the  war- 
ships!" 


284  THE   HAKLEQUIX   OPAL. 

Anxious  to  know  what  fresh  event  had  taken  place,  and 
fearful  that  Jan j alia  had  fallen,  Jack  spurred  his  horse 
after  Rafael,  and  at  a  break-neck  speed  they  clattered 
down  the  street  to  the  sea-gate,  scattering  the  crowd  in 
every  direction. 

Outside  the  sea-gate  Rafael  headed  to  the  left,  where 
the  torpedera  Montezuma  was  lying,  and  jumping  off  his 
horse  threw  the  reins  to  a  peon  and  called  a  boat.  Jack 
followed  his  example,  and  in  a  few  moments  they  were 
pulling  for  the  torpedo-vessel. 

"Carambo,  mi  amigo!"  said  Jack,  breathlessly,  "you 
ride  like  the  devil.  What  is  the  matter  now?" 

"His  Excellency  has  just  received  news  that  two  of  the 
war-ships  have  returned  to  Acauhtzin." 

"What!     Have  they  given  up  the  siege?" 

"No.  They  are  acting  as  convoy  to  the  transports. 
Xuarez  is  sending  more  troops  south,  and  knowing  that 
our  torpederas  are  not  ready,  thinks  that  The  Pizarro, 
single-handed,  is  sufficient  to  blockade  Janjalla." 

"  Then  he  has  landed  his  other  troops?"  said  Jack,  as 
they  sprang  on  board  The  Montezuma.  "  The  ship  guns 
have  evidently  silenced  the  forts  and  permitted  the  rebels 
to  get  on  shore." 

" Precisely!  But  what  matter?  Reinforcements  are 
now  on  their  way  by  land,  and  we,  my  friend,  will  start 
to-morrow  by  sea  to  smash  up  The  Pizarro." 

"Will  the  torpederas  be  ready?" 

" They  must  be  ready!"  cried  Rafael,  stamping  his  foot. 
"  We  may  never  get  such  another  chance.  If  we  can  only 
sink  The  Pizarro,  it  will  dishearten  the  troops  of  Xuarez 
now  besieging  Janjalla,  and  they  can  be  easily  defeated." 

"If  we  can  manage  that,  it  will  be  a  sad  blow  to  Don 
Hypolito!" 

"Dios!  so  I  should  think,"  replied  Rafael,  laughing 
gaily.  "He  will  come  south  with  more  troops,  and  find 
Janjalla  occupied  by  us  and  his  way  barred  by  two  torpe- 
deras and  The  Iturbide.  Then  The  Pizarro 's  loss  won't 
please  him.  Carajo!  no." 

"  Bueno!  But  you  forget  The  Pizarro  has  search-lights, 
torpedo-netting — " 

"Not  the  last,  mi  amigo!"  interrupted  Rafael,  quickly. 
"  I  told  you  before,  the  netting  was  left  behind  in  Tla- 


AWAY   TO  THE    FRONT-  285 

touac  when  the  war-ships  left  for  Acauhtzin.  As  to  the 
search-lights,  she  cau  keep  them  on  The  Iturbide  or  on 
the  other  torpedera.  Then,  my  friend,  The  Montezuma 
will  make  things  unpleasant  for  her. " 

"  It's  a  mere  chance,  Eafael! " 

"Quien  sabe!"  retorted  the  young  man,  shrugging  his 
shoulders;  "  all  warfare  is  mere  chance.  Come  and  look 
over  the  boat." 

The  fittings  of  the  torpederas  being  somewhat  compli- 
cated, engineers  had  been  sent  out  from  England  iii 
charge,  and  these,  being  paid  heavily  by  the  Junta, 
remained  to  maneuver  the  boats.  Among  them  Jack  dis- 
covered a  Scotchman  from  Aberdeen,  with  whom  he  struck 
up  a  friendship.  This  gentleman,  whose  clan  was  Macken- 
zie, showed  them  all  over  the  boat,  and  spoke  in  terms  of 
great  affection  of  the  Whitehead  torpedoes. 

"Eh,  mon!"  he  observed  to  Jack,  as  they  surveyed 
those  triumphs  of  modern  warfare,  "jouist  gie  her  a 
shove,  an'  she'll  smash  the  hail  boatie  to  bits — into  sma' 
bits." 

"That  is,  if  the  ship  you  propose  to  smash  doesn't 
bring  her  heavy  guns  to  bear  on  this  boat." 

"Hoots!  hoots!  mon.  The  Montyzumy  can  gang  her 
ain  gait.  Nineteen  knots  an  hour!  Ma  certie,  it  wull 
tack  a  braw  gun  to  catch  the  likes  o'  her. " 

When  they  returned  on  deck  from  their  inspection  of 
the  ship,  a  note  was  brought  to  Rafael  from  Captain 
Pedraza  of  The  IturUde,  requesting  his  presence  on 
board.  They  dropped  into  a  boat  and  were  speedily  clam- 
bering up  the  giant  sides  of  the  cruiser.  Being  conducted 
to  the  state-room,  they  found  Captain  Pedraza,  surrounded 
by  his  officers,  reading  a  message  from  the  President. 

"Ola,  mis  amigos!  "cried  the  captain,  gaily,  "you  are 
just  in  time.  Senor  Juan,  I  am  your  servant.  Don 
Rafael,  we  leave  Tlatonac  for  Jaujalla  to-morrow  after- 
noon." 

"  Why  in  the  afternoon?  " 

"Carambo!  So  as  to  reach  Janjalla  at  night.  The 
Pizarro  is  lying  there  in  the  harbor,  and,  under  cover  of 
darkness,  we  may  be  able  to  sink  her  either  with  our  guns 
or  by  means  of  torpedoes." 

"Will  the  torpederas  be  ready?  "asked  Jack,  for  the 
second  time. 


286  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

"  You  maybe  certain  of  that/'  said  Rafael,  significantly. 
"  I  will  guarantee  that  The  Montezuma  will  be  able  to  start 
at  the  appointed  time." 

"  And  I  can  say  the  same  of  The  Zuloaga,"  observed  a 
slim  man,  in  whom  Jack  recognized  the  commander  of  the 
other  torpedo-boat.  "  I  think,  Senor,  it  can  be  looked  on 
as  certain  that  all  three  can  depart." 

After  this  a  babel  of  talk  ensued  concerning  the  chances 
of  surprising  The  Pizarro.  Some  proposed  one  place, 
some  another,  and  amid  all  the  excitement,  Jack,  growing 
weary  of  the  arguing,  slipped  out  of  the  salon  and  went 
ashore,  so  as  to  have  as  much  time  as  possible  with  Dolores 
before  departure. 

He  strolled  along  the  seashore,  and  met  Cocom  just  out- 
side the  sea-gate.  The  old  man  saluted  him  gravely. 

"  Sefior,"  he  said,  mysteriously  approaching  Jack, 
"  beware  of  Ixtlilxochitli." 

"What  do  you  mean,  Cocom?"  asked  Duval,  rather 
startled. 

"  The  Indians,  Sefior,  are  now  on  the  war-path — to  the 
south,"  added  Cocom,  significantly. 

"Great  heaven!"  ejaculated  the  young  man,  horror- 
struck.  "  They  intend  to  surprise  the  reinforcements." 

"  That  is  so,  Sefior.  But  I,  Cocom,  have  sent  runners 
after  them  to  warn  the  Senors." 

"Bueno!  Cocom;  you  are  the  safeguard  of  Cholacaca!" 

"Not  I,  Senor;  but  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac!  " 

"  Oh,  I  haven't  much  belief  in  that." 

"Don  Juan!  "said  Cocom,  significantly,  "the  Indians 
obeyed  the  stone  implicitly — it  is  sacred.  What  it  speaks 
they  do.  Red  is  burned  and  war  was  proclaimed.  But, 
Sefior,  if  it  flamed  blue,  then  would  the  Indians  be  at 
peace." 

Before  Jack  could  say  a  word  Cocom  mysteriously 
slipped  away,  leaving  the  young  man  sorely  puzzled  as  to 
his  meaning. 

"  That  confounded  opal,"  he  said,  as  he  resumed  his 
way  toward  the  Casa  Maraquando,  "  it  meets  one  at  every 
turn.  They  say  opals  are  unlucky,  and  certainly  the 
Chalchuih  Tlatonac  has  not  brought  much  luck  to  us  as 
yet." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


A   NAVAL   ENGAGEMENT — NEW    STYLE. 

"  Wot!  fightin'  ? "  said  the  sailor  man  to  me 

(He  was  wooden-legged  and  close  on  eighty-three). 
"  Why,  bless  'ee,  sir,  who  knows  what  fightin'  are, 

When  iron  pots  is  classed  as  men-of-war, 

And  kittles  sail  the  sea  without  a  spar? 

Such  wessels  were  not  seen  at  Trafalgar." 

"  Old  Nelson! "  said  the  sailor  man  to  me 
(He  was  lying  like  a  hatter,  I  could  see). 

"I  was  with  him  when  the  Frenchies'  line  we  broke, 
With  our  wooden  ships  and  sailors'  hearts  of  oak, 
And  the  great  three-decker's  cannons'  voice  awoke, 
Every  minute  as  they  thundered  thro'  the  smoke." 

"  Oh,  blow  it!  "  said  the  sailor  man  to  me 

(His  language,  I  admit,  was  rather  free), 
"  Now  you  sends  a  black  torpedo,  and  it  seeks 

To  hit  a  wessel  sidew;iys — then  she  leaks, 

And  sinks  while  every  sailor  prays  and  shrieks. 

Wot,  fightin' — why,  it's  murder!  yah!  the  sneaks." 

On  leaving  Cocom,  Jack  at  once  went  to  Don  Miguel 
and  informed  him  of  the  Indian  rising.  Maraquando 
thought  but  little  of  the  affair,  as  it  was  unlikely  unarmed 
savages  would  dare  to  attack  a  force  of  one  thousand 
soldiers.  Besides,  the  journey  to  Janjalla  was  through  a 
civilized  and  cultivated  country,  and  an  Indian  raid  was 
improbable.  Nevertheless,  at  Jack's  urgent  request,  he 
spoke  to  President  Gomez  about  the  matter,  and  though 
His  Excellency  took  the  same  view  as  did  Maraquando,  yet 
he  sent  on  messengers  to  overtake  the  reinforcements  and 
inform  them  of  their  possible  danger. 

The  next  day  at  three  o'clock  the  vessels  were  to  leave 
for  Janjalla,  but  when  the  hour  came  it  was  found  that  the 
torpederas  were  far  from  ready.  It  is  true  The  Iturbide 
was  in  a  state  of  efficiency,  and  could  have  left  Tlac^nac  at 
the  appointed  time,  but  the  complicated  engines  of  The 

(287) 


288  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

Montezuma  and  The  Zuloaga  were  somewhat  out  of  gear. 
Though  the  engineers  worked  day  and  night  to  get  every- 
thing in  order,  yet  it  was  not  until  three  days  had  elapsed 
that  the  squadron  was  ready  to  start.  This  delay  made 
Eafael  feel  very  uneasy  lest  the  consorts  of  The  Pizarro 
should  return  south  before  they  could  sink  her  by  the  tor- 
pedoes. He  reckoned  out  the  matter  with  Jack. 

"  Dios,  mi  amigo!  Three  days  have  gone  since  The 
Cortes  and  TJie  Columbus  passed  Tlatonac  with  the  trans- 
ports to  the  north.  It  is  three  hundred  miles  to  Acauht- 
zin,  and  those  boats  steam  at  the  rate  of  twelve  knots  an 
hour—" 

"  True/'  interrupted  Jack,  significantly;  "  but  the 
transports  do  not." 

"  That  is  so,  Juan.  Let  us  reckon  accordingly.  Steam- 
ing at  the  rate  of  twelve  knots,  the  war-ships  would  prob- 
ably reach  Acauhtzin  in  twenty-five  hours.  Allowing  for 
the  slowness  of  the  transports,  say  thirty  hours.  In  twenty- 
four  hours  they  will  be  able  to  take  in  troops,  provisions, 
horses,  and  guns.  That  makes  fifty-four  hours.  Steaming 
south  to  Tlatonac,  thirty  hours.  Eighty-four  hours.  To 
Janjalla  from  here  it  is  a  hundred  miles — say  twelve  hours. 
In  all,  ninety-six  hours.  Divide  by  twenty-four,  that  is 
exactly  four  days." 

"  At  that  rate  the  rebel  ships  can  not  possibly  reach  Jan- 
jalla before  to-morrow  midnight.  When  do  we  leave 
here?" 

"About  three  o'clock,"  said  Eafael,  glancing  at  his 
watch.  "  The  torpederas  can  knock  out  eighteen  knots, 
but  the  full  speed  of  The  IturMde  is  fifteen.  We  will 
reckon  at  that,  and  by  leaving  here  at  three  we  will  reach 
Janjalla  long  before  midnight." 

"Bueno!  We  will  have  a  clear  twenty-four  hours  in 
which  to  sink  The  Pizarro." 

"Twelve,"  contradicted  Rafael,  captiously;  "we  must 
attack  in  the  darkness.  The  less  risk  the  better." 

"I  don't  see  that  it  makes  much  difference,"  retorted 
Jack,  grimly;  "if  The  Pizarro  can  fight  two  torpedo- 
boats  and  an  armed  cruiser  she  is  a  mighty  clever  ship.  I 
look  upon  The  Pizarro  as  lost." 

"So  do  I,  Juan,"  replied  Rafael,  with  a  sad  expression 
flitting  across  his  face;  "she  was  my  ship,  you  know.  I 
am  sorry  that  it  falls  to  my  lot  to  sink  her." 


A    NAVAL   ENGAGEMENT — NEW    STYLE.  28!) 

••  Perhaps  she  will  surrender." 

"  Not  while  she  is  commanded  by  De  Galevez.  He  was 
my  first  lieutenant,  and  is  as  obstinate  as  the  devil.  Dios! 
There  is  noon.  We  have  not  much  time  in  which  to  make 
our  adieux.  Go  up  and  see  Dolores,  mi  amigo,  but  return 
by  two  o'clock." 

Jack  gladly  took  advantage  of  the  permission,  and  had  a 
long  interview  with  Dolores,  who  wept  bitterly  at  the  idea 
of  parting  with  him  again.  She  was  already  low-spirited, 
through  having  comforted  Eulalia,  and  now  that  her  own 
lover  was  going  away,  broke  down  entirely. 

"  Promise  me  you  will  take  the  greatest  care  of  yourself, 
querido." 

"  My  dearest,  I  will  ask  Eafael  to  wrap  me  in  cotton 
wool.  But,  indeed,  cara,  you  need  not  fear.  I  will  be  as 
safe  on  board  The  Montezuma  as  in  Tlatonac." 

"  But  you  will  be  gone  many  days." 

' '  A  week  at  the  most.  If  we  succeed  in  sinking  The, 
Pizarro,  we  will  steam  north  to  meet  the  other  war-ships, 
and  try  our  luck  with  them." 

"  I  will  pray  for  you,  Juanito,  and  I  will  look  after  the 
beetles  of  Don  Pedro." 

Jack  burst  out  laughing  at  the  incongruity  of  such 
coupling. 

"Has  Don  Pedro  asked  you  to  look  after  that  rub- 
bish?" 

"Yes,  Juanito!  I  am  to  take  the  very  greatest  care. 
They  are  precious." 

"  In  the  doctor's  eyes  they  are  more  precious  than  the 
opal.  By  the  way,  where  is  Peter?  " 

"He  has  said  farewell,  and  departed  with  my  uncle. 
Would  I  could  come  down  to  the  boat,  querido.  But  I 
dare  not." 

"  I  never  knew  such  particular  people  as  the  Tlatona- 
cians,"  muttered  Jack,  somewhat  vexed.  "  Well,  angelito, 
we  must  say  good-by  here." 

"Will  you  take  the  opal  for  good  fortune,  Juan?" 

"I?  Take  the  opal?  My  dear  Dolores,  I  would  be 
frightened  out  of  my  life  at  carrying  such  a  treasure  with 
me.  No!  No!  You  keep  the  opal  with  yourself;  and 
yourself  in  Tlatonac.  Then  will  the  good  fortune  of  the 
city  be  assured.  But  I  will  take  this  ring." 
10 


290  THE    HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

"  Turquoise!  rubies!  pearls!  "  said  Dolores,  drawing  it  off 
her  finger.  "  It  was  my  mother's,  querido.  Now  it  is 
yours." 

"A  thousand  thousand  thanks,  alma  de  mi  alma!" 
replied  Jack,  slipping  it  on  his  little  finger;  "  it  will 
remind  me  ever  of  you.  Rubies  for  your  lips,  pearls  for 
your  teeth,  and — and — " 

"Ah!  and  what  for  turquoise?"  said  Dolores,  seeing  he 
Avas  rather  nonplused;  "  for  my  eyes?  " 

"No,  those  are  black!  Well,  we  will  say  turquoise  for 
peace.  The  blue  ray  of  the  opal  means  peace.  And  now, 
good-by,  my  dearest — my  own  one!  " 

"Adios,  Juanito.     My  soul!    My  heart!" 

Jack,  not  trusting  himself  to  speak  further,  kissed  her 
passionately,  and  hastily  left  the  house.  Fortunately,  he 
met  no  one,  much  to  his  gratification,  as  he  was  too  agi- 
tated to  say  a  word.  He  went  to  his  house  and  put  all  his 
necessaries  together;  then,  in  company  with  Peter,  went 
on  board  The  Montezuma. 

At  three  o'clock  the  forts  saluted  the  squadron,  and  The 
Iturbide,  followed  by  the  torpederas,  stood  out  to  sea. 
The  crowd  on  the  beach  watched  the  vessels  until  they 
were  mere  specks  on  the  horizon,  and  then  retreated 
within  the  walls,  with  loudly  expressed  hopes  that  they 
would  return  with  the  rebel  ship  in  tow.  The  Tlatona- 
cians  expected  much  more  than  they  were  ever  likely  to 
obtain. 

The  three  vessels  stood  out  about  ten  miles  from  the 
coast,  and  steamed  southward  at  no  great  speed,  as  Pedra- 
za  did  not  wish  to  fetch  Janjalla  until  darkness  had  set 
in.  As  two  war-ships  and  the  transports  had  gone  to 
Acauhtzin,  it  was  probable  that  The  Pizarro  would  be  the 
only  vessel  left  in  the  harbor,  and  vigilant  watch  would  be 
kept  on  board,  lest  the  torpederas  should  come  on  her  una- 
wares. The  rebel  commander  knew  perfectly  well  that  the 
torpederas  had  arrived^  and  would  soon  be  in  chase  of  his 
ships;  but  he  did  not  expect  that  they  would  be  able  to 
attack  while  the  other  war-ships  were  away.  Still,  it  was 
probable  The  Pizarro  would  make  good  use  of  her  search- 
lights, and  Pedraza,  wishing  to  come  to  close  quarters 
unexpectedly,  had  to  exercise  the  greatest  care  as  they 
drew  near  the  harbor. 


A.  NAVAL  ENGAGEMENT — NEW   STYLE.  291 

Toward  nine  o'clock  they  were  off  the  coast  of  Janjalla, 
and  intense  excitement  prevailed  on  board  all  three  vessels. 
The  plan  of  attack  had  been  settled  at  a  general  council 
on  board  The  Iturlide  before  they  left  Tlatonac,  and  it 
was  arranged  as  follows:  The  Iturbide  was  to  steam 
silently  into  the  harbor  of  Janjalla,  followed  by  the  torpe- 
deras, and  come  to  close  quarters  with  The  Pizarro,  if 
possible.  Should  she  be  discovered  by  the  search-light  of 
the  latter,  she  was  then  to  steam  boldly  ahead,  and  con- 
centrate the  attention  of  the  rebels  on  herself.  The 
Pizarro,  thus  being  busy  with  the  cruiser,  would  not  notice 
the  torpederas,  which  could  then  steal  silently  within  five 
hundred  yards,  and  launch  a  Whitehead  or  so.  The  result 
would  be  obvious. 

The  torpederas,  with  twin  screws  and  powerful  engines, 
maneuvered  with  wonderful  rapidity,  darting  here  and 
there  in  the  darkness  like  black  sharks.  Both  were  armed 
with  Hotchkiss  guns  and  four  Whitehead  torpedo-tubes, 
while  their  strong  search-lights  protected  them  against  the 
unexpected  approach  of  an  enemy.  Painted  a  dark  color 
to  escape  notice,  they  could  steal  silently  within  striking 
distance  of  a  vessel  and  sink  her  with  one  of  their  deadly 
explosives.  The  only  chance  of  safety  for  The  Pizarro 
lay  in  her  sighting  them  at  a  considerable  distance  and 
keeping  them  at  bay  with  her  heavy  guns;  but  as  she  would 
be  fully  taken  up  with  The  Iturbide,  this  would  be  difficult 
for  her  to  do.  Worst  of  all,  she  had  no  defense  against 
the  rapid-darting  torpederas,  as  the  nets  had  been  left 
behind  in  Tlatonac  when  she  deserted  to  the  rebel  Xuarez. 

As  to  the  cruiser,  she  was  a  handsome  vessel,  with  a  spar 
deck,  and  filled  with  bow-chasers  and  Gatling  guns.  She 
carried  a  crew  of  ninety  men,  including  officers,  and  also 
two  hundred  soldiers,  who  had  embarked  at  Tlatonac,  to 
be  landed,  if  possible,  at  Janjalla.  Fifteen  knots  was  her 
usual  speed;  but,  if  necessary,  she  could  stand  to  seven- 
teen. This  was  the  fleet  of  the  Junta,  and  now  maneuvered 
ten  miles  from  the  town  of  Janjalla,  waiting  the  signal  to 
pounce  down  on  the  unsuspecting  Pizarro. 

Fortunately  the  night  was  cloudy  and  dark.  At  inter- 
vals the  moon,  emerging  from  behind  heavy  clouds,  cast  a 
pale  light  over  the  scene.  It  was  low  down  in  the  west, 
and  would  soon  drop  behind  the  low-lying  shore,  so  Fed- 


292  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

raza,  Avho  wanted  complete  darkness  for  his  project,  waited 
until  her  disappearance  before  he  gave  the  signal  to  steam 
into  the  harbor.  All  lights  were  extinguished  on  the  ves- 
sel so  as  to  avoid  attracting  the  attention  of  the  enemy, 
but,  if  necessary,  the  search-lights  could  blaze  forth  in  an 
instant.  The  torpederas  were  to  attack  the  war-ship,  one 
on  the  port  the  other  on  the  starboard  side.  It  was  now 
close  upon  midnight,  and  as  the  moon  showed  but  half  her 
orb  above  the  shore,  all  waited  the  signal  in  breathless 
silence. 

"  What  is  to  be  done  if  we  sink  The  Pizarro?"  asked 
Jack,  as  he  stood  by  Eafael,  watching  for  the  signal  from 
The  Iturbide. 

"  Quien  sabe!"  replied  Maraquando,  shrugging  his 
shoulders;  "  I  expect  we  will  wait  in  the  harbor  till  day- 
light, and  then  see  if  we  can  land  our  troops." 

"There  won't  be  much  chance  of  that,  my  Comand- 
ante,"  said  Duval,  dryly;  "  between  us  and  Janjalla  two 
thousand  rebel  troops  lie  encamped.  We  can  not  break 
through  that  barrier." 

"  You  forget,  mi  amigo,  there  are  close  on  a  thousand 
troops  of  the  Junta  in  the  town.  By  this  time  the  rein- 
forcements must  have  reached  their  destination,  so  that 
will  make  two  thousand.  If  they  attack  the  rebels  from 
Janjalla,  and  we  land  our  two  hundred  men  under  cover 
of  The  Iturlide's  guns,  who  knows  but  what  we  may  not 
be  able  to  crush  these  scoundrels  before  their  war-ships  and 
transports  arrive  from  Acauhtzin?" 

"Bueno!  Always  presuming  that  the  reinforcements 
have  arrived  safely — then,  the  Indians." 

"Carambo!  Surely  a  thousand  well-armed  soldiers  are 
a  match  for  a  horde  of  naked  savages.  The  reinforcements 
are  safe  in  Janjalla  by  now.  I  am  sure  of  it.  Believe  me, 
Don  Juan,  we  will  exterminate  the  rebels." 

"First  we  will  have  to  exterminate  The  Pizarro, 
and — ' 

"Hold!"  interrupted  Rafael,  joyfully,  "the  signal." 

A  rocket  shot  up  from  The  Iturbide  and  scattered  its 
fires  in  the  dark  air.  The  moon  had  entirely  disappeared, 
and  an  intense  gloom  prevailed  over  land  and  sea. 

Hardly  had  the  rocket's  trail  of  fire  disappeared  when 
The  Iturbide's  screw  began  to  spin,  and,  followed  by  the 


A   NAVAL  ENGAGEMENT — NEW    STYLE.  203 

torpederas,  she  moved  cautiously  toward  the  harbor  at  half 
speed.  At  the  end  of  an  hour  all  three  vessels  were  within 
sight  of  the  town.  Through  the  gloom  sparkled  the  lights 
of  Janjalla,  and  between  them  and  the  incoming  vessels 
lay  the  huge  bulk  of  The  Pizarro,  the  glare  of  her 
search-lights  shooting  up  into  the  dark  like  two  gigantic 
swords  of  pale  flame. 

The  Iturbide  was  leading  by  three  hundred  yards,  and 
crept  cautiously  forward  so  as  to  pounce  on  her  prey  una- 
wares. Whether  the  noise  of  her  screw  reached  the  ears 
of  those  on  board  The  Pizarro,  or  that  they  marked  her 
coming  through  the  darkness,  it  is  impossible  to  say,  but 
just  as  she  steamed  within  eight  hundred  yards  the  search- 
lights swept  round  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel,  and  in  a 
moment  their  glare  revealed  her  whereabouts.  In  the  radi- 
ance she  stood  out  like  a  phantom  ship,  and  seeing  that  he 
was  discovered,  Pedraza,  cracking  on  all  steam,  swept  past 
The  Pizarro  in  a  wide  circle. 

A  heavy  fire  was  at  once  opened  by  the  rebels,  and  they 
doubtless  deemed  that  this  foe  was  not  alone,  for  keeping 
one  light  on  the  cruiser,  they  swept  the  sea  with  the  other 
in  search  of  her  possible  companions.  Those  on  board 
The  Iturbide  could  hear  the  yell  of  mingled  rage  and  ter- 
ror as  the  light  struck  the  low  bulk  of  The  Zuloaga  darting 
through  the  water,  evil-looking  and  venomous.  A  broad- 
side was  poured  on  the  torpedera,  now  left  unprotected  by 
The  Iturbide,  which  was  circling  to  the  left  in  the  inner 
part  of  the  bay.  Owing  to  the  dexterity  of  The  Zulo- 
aga's  maneuvering,  none  of  the  heavy  guns  could  hit  her. 
She  skimmed  the  gray  waves  like  a  swallow  at  full  speed, 
and  the  search-light  of  The  Pizarro  was  much  put  to  in 
following  her.  It  was  like  a  dancer  in  the  theater  fol- 
lowed by  the  lime-light.  One  moment  the  torpedera 
would  be  swallowed  up  in  the  gloom,  the  next  moment  the 
darting  ray  of  the  electric  light  would  stab  through  the 
darkness  and  pick  her  out.  The  other  ray  followed  The 
Iturbide,  which  kept  steaming  slowly  backward  and  for- 
ward on  the  port  side,  firing  her  Armstrongs  whenever  she 
got  a  fair  chance. 

The  Zuloaga  sent  off  a  bow  torpedo,  but  it  passed  harm- 
lessly under  the  stern  of  The  Pizarro  without  doing  any 
damage.     Nevertheless  the  crew  of  the  rebel  ship  seemed 
19 


294 

much  alarmed,  as  well  they  might  be,  seeing  that  a  single 
torpedo  striking  them  amidships  would  sink  their  iron 
ship  in  a  few  minutes.  Foolishly  enough,  it  never  occurred 
to  De  Galevez  to  sweep  the  starboard  with  his  lights,  and 
lie  was  quite  unaware  that  a  second  torpedo-vessel  was 
stealing  up  in  the  darkness. 

Indeed,  what  with  following  The  Iturbide  and  The 
Zuloaga  with  his  search-lights,  De  Galevez  had  enough  to 
do,  and  kept  the  torpedo-boat  at  bay  with  his  heavy  guns. 
Occasionally  a  shot  from  The  Iturbide  would  pass  through 
the  rigging  of  the  rebel  ship,  but  no  damage  was  done; 
and  De  Galevez'  great  desire  was  to  keep  at  a  distance  the 
wasp-like  torpedo  which  circled  round  rapidly,  everywhere 
trying  to  plant  its  sting. 

While  this  drama  was  taking  place  on  the  port  side,  The 
Montezuma,  on  seeing  the  The  Iturbide  was  discovered, 
moved  up  on  the  starboard  at  a  distance  of  four  hundred 
yards.  When  abreast  of  The  Pizarro  she  slowed  down  her 
engines  and  crept  up  within  pistol  range.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  incessant  firing  of  the  guns,  those  on  board  The 
Pizarro  would  surely  have  become  aware  of  their  danger. 
As  it  was,  they  thought  themselves  safe  while  they  kept 
The  Zuloaga  at  a  distance.  A  tremendous  broadside  was 
directed  at  that  torpedera  and  at  The  Iturbide.  It  was 
her  last  discharge,  for  the  next  moment  she  was  struck 
amidships  by  a  torpedo  from  The  Montezuma. 

There  was  a  cry  of  frenzied  fear,  and  the  search-lights 
flashed  round  to  starboard  only  to  see  The  Montezuma 
slipping  back  into  the  gloom.  Three  minutes  afterward 
The  Pizarro  sank. 

The  vessels  of  the  Junta  at  once  flashed  their  electric 
rays  on  the  spot,  and  where  a  moment  before  had  been  a 
magnificent  vessel,  now  saw  nothing  but  a  wide  expanse  of 
cold  black  sea,  dotted  with  drowning  men.  Boats  were 
lowered  by  The  Iturbide,  and  a  few  soldiers  and  sailors 
were  rescued,  but  so  suddenly  had  The  Pizarro  gone  down, 
that  with  the  exception  of  half  a  dozen  survivors,  the 
whole  crew,  officers,  and  soldiers,  in  all  three  hundred 
men,  were  drowned. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  joy  on  board  the 
loyalist  ships  at  this  successful  termination  of  the  contest. 
Rafael  and  Jack  went  on  board  The  Iturbide  to  receive  the 


A  NAVAL  ENGAGEMENT — NEW   STYLE.  295 

congratulations  of  Pedraza  for  their  success,  and  the 
officers  of  The  Zuloaga  also  hastened  to  participate  in  the 
general  joy.  The  large  state-room  of  the  cruiser  was  one 
mass  of  excited  men,  drinking  champagne,  and  wildly 
embracing  one  another.  This  victory  would  surely  damp 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  rebels,  and  raise  that  of  the  royalists 
to  fever-pitch.  Don  Hypolito  had  now  but  two  ships  of 
war,  and  these  could  not  surely  stand  before  the  valor  of 
The  Iturbide,  with  her  two  torpedo-vessels.  The  vivas 
were  deafening,  and  Eafael,  as  commander  of  the  boat 
which  had  sunk  The  Pizarro,  was  nearly  stifled  by  the 
embraces  of  his  brother  officers. 

As  soon  as  the  excitement  had  somewhat  subsided,  all 
went  on  deck,  and  The  Iturbide  stood  in  to  the  shore  with 
the  idea  of  seeing  how  matters  stood  in  the  rebel  camp. 
Flying  the  opal  flag,  lest  the  forts  should  open  fire  on  one 
of  their  own  vessels,  the  cruiser  turned  her  lights  on  to  the 
beach,  and  saw  that  it  was  lined  with  the  rebel  forces,  all 
under  arms.  The  noise  of  the  firing  and  the  flashing  of 
the  lights  had  attracted  the  attention  of  those  on  shore, 
and,  fearing  that  an  attack  was  contemplated  by  the 
enemy,  those  rebels  encamped  in  front  of  Janjalla  were 
now  on  the  alert.  No  one  could  understand  the  reason  of 
this  sea-fight,  as  it  seemed  quite  impossible  that  the 
torpederas  could  have  arrived  from  Tlatonac  in  so  short  a 
period.  The  general  in  command  of  the  troops  of  Xuarez 
did  not  know  what  to  think,  and  had  to  wait  till  dawn 
before  he  could  make  up  his  mind  what  course  to  pursue. 

As  the  lights  of  The  Iturbide  struck  the  distant  town,  a 
long  line  of  walls,  surmounted  by  a  crowd,  leaped  out  of 
the  darkness.  The  search-lights  from  the  forts  were 
flashed  on  to  the  ships,  and  those  in  Janjalla,  recognizing  the 
opal  flag,  cheered  vociferously.  They  saw  three  boats, 
each  flying  the  ensign  of  Tlatonac,  and  no  Pizarro.  Then 
they  guessed  what  had  occurred,  and  were  glad  accord- 
ingly. The  rebel  soldiers  on  the  beach  stamped  and  swore 
with  rage  as  they  saw  their  loss,  but  being  without  boats 
could  do  nothing  save  parade  under  arms  till  dawn,  so  as 
to  be  prepared  against  a  possible  attack  by  the  victorious 
loyalists. 

"Bueno!"  cried  Captain  Pedraza,  who  had  his  night- 
glass  up.  "There  is  one  good  thing,  mis  amigos;  the  opal 
nag  still  flies  over  the  town,  so  as  yet  it  holds  out." 


296  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"What  is  next  to  be  done,  Comandaute?"  asked  Jack, 
who  was  standing  near  with  Eafael. 

"  We  must  wait  till  dawn,  Senor  Americano,  and  then 
find  out  if  the  reinforcements  have  arrived  at  Janjalla. 
Afterward  we  will  steam  back  to  Tlatonac,  and  if  possible 
j»eet  the  Cortes  and  Columbus  coming  back.  In  any 
event,  we  must  go  to  Tlatonac  to  report  this  victory  to  the 
Junta." 

" Shall  you  land  these  two  hundred  troops?" 

"Caranto!    Why  not?" 

"  Because  the  camp  of  the  enemy  lies  between  the  town 
and  ourselves.  Two  hundred  men  can  not  do  much  against 
two  thousand." 

"  True,  Senor.  If  it  is  impossible  we  will  not  attempt 
it.  But  at  dawn  I  will  signal  to  General  Gigedo  to  make  a 
sally  from  the  gates  down  to  the  shore;  our  men  will  land 
and  effect  a  conjunction,  and  so  with  small  loss  they  ought 
to  get  into  the  town.  Especially  under  cover  of  our  guns 
and  those  of  the  forts." 

"  I  don't  see  what  use  that  will  be,  Pedraza,"  interrupted 
Eafael,  bluntly. 

"  Caro,  Senor!  His  Excellency  ordered  this  to  be  done, 
so  it  must  be  done." 

"Bather  a  useless  task,  I  think,  said  Jack,  dryly. 
"  However,  I  am  not  sorry,  as  I  wish  to  get  into  the  town 
myself.  But  you,  Senor  Comandante,  what  will  you  do?" 

"  Wait  till  these  troops  are  safe  with  Gigedo,  and  also 
ascertain  if  the  reinforcements  have  arrived.  Then  I  will 
sail  north." 

"You  won't  wait  for  the  war-ships  and  transports?" 

"  Carajo!  what  use?  We  will  find  those  on  our  way  to 
Tlatonac." 

After  this  conversation,  Rafael  and  Jack  returned  on 
board  The  Montezuma,  the  former  slightly  gloomy  in  spite 
of  the  victory  so  unexpectedly  achieved. 

"Caro,  Juan!"  he  said,  reflectively;  "if  we  lose  this 
war,  it  will  be  through  Don  Francisco  Gomez.  He  is  a 
good  politician,  but  a  bad  general.  What  use  is  there  to 
sacrifice  two  hundred  men  to-morrow?" 

"It's  rather  like  the  Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade,  cer- 
tainly," replied  Jack,  with  a  smile;  "  as  foolhardy  and  a& 
brave." 


A  NAVAL  ENGAGEMENT — NEW  8TYLE.  297 

"  What  is  that,  mi  amigo?" 

Whereupon  Jack  related  the  glorious  charge  to  Rafael, 
and  thereby  stirred  up  the  excitable  Spaniard  to  fiery 
enthusiasm. 

"  Oh,  what  men  are  the  English,"  he  cried,  stamping 
his  foot.  "  It  is  a  story  worthy  of  the  Cid.  But  this  to- 
morrow, my  friend — it  is  rare!  it  is  brave!  and,  like  your 
story,  there  is  no  good  to  be  gained." 

"  Perhaps  Gomez  wants  to  frighten  the  rebels  by  show- 
ing them  how  dauntless  are  his  men." 

"  Dios!  That  is  not  wise.  The  sinking  of  The  Pizarro 
will  frighten  them  without  risking  two  hundred  lives. 
1  lowever,  as  it  is  ordered,  it  must  be  done.  But  you,  Don 
Juan!  Will  you  go? " 

il  Assuredly,  mi  amigo.  I  wish  to  see  the  Senor  Cor- 
respondent and  Felipe." 

"  But  you  will  be  killed." 

"That  is  as  it  may  be.  But  no,  Rafael.  I  did  not 
escape  the  perils  of  Totatzine  to  fall  in  a  skirmish  before 
the  walls  of  Jan j alia.  But  see,  mi  amigo,  it  is  nearly 
dawn;  let  us  snatch  a  few  hours'  sleep." 

"  Bueno!  "  replied  Rafael,  leading  the  way  to  his  cabin; 
'•'  but  first  we  must  call  our  friends  together,  and  toast  our 
victory  once  more." 

It  was  done  accordingly. 


CHAPTER  XX"V. 


WITHOUT  THE    WALLS. 

Walls  of  stone  like  mountains  rise, 
Gray  against  the  morning  skies; 
Still  the  royal  banner  flies, 
Watched  with  hate  by  rebel's  eyes; 
And  around  the  ramparts  gray, 
In  the  mists,  an  army  lies. 

Set  in  battle's  wild  array, 
At  the  dawning  of  the  day, 
Traitors  to  their  sovereign  they, 
Who  would  loyal  subjects  slay, 
Hold  this  city  as  a  slave, 
Under  democratic  sway. 

Cannons  thunder,  banners  wave, 
As  come  on  the  foemen  brave, 
'Neath  these  walls  to  find  a  grave. 
Yet  this  city  shall  we  save! 
Never  let  it  be  the  prize 
Of  the  coward,  fool,  and  knave. 

Shortly  after  dawn,  Jack  went  on  deck  to  have  a  thor- 
ough examination  of  the  coast-line.  The  situation  of 
Janjalla  was  peculiar.  To  the  right  a  shallow  river  mean- 
dered seaward  through  low-lying  swampy  ground,  dis- 
charging itself  sluggishly  by  several  mouths.  A  desolate 
plain  stretched  for  leagues  on  the  left  to  the  base  of  dis- 
tant mountains,  and  between  swamp  and  plain  the  city 
appeared  built  on  a  rocky  height.  Directly  in  front  of  the 
walls  the  sandy  ground  fell  rapidly  toward  the  sea,  on  the 
extreme  verge  of  which  was  a  compact  mass  of  huts  form- 
ing a  kind  of  seaport.  The  wharf  shot  out  suddenly  from 
this  miniature  town.  It  lay  along  the  hollow  of  the 
beach,  and  above  it,  in  the  near  distance,  rose  the  gray 
walls  of  Janjalla  from  the  rocky  cliffs.  Above  these,  the 
domes  of  churches,  the  towers  of  houses,  and,  highest  of 
all,  the  expanse  of  bluish  sky  gray  with  the  chill  mists  of 
morning. 

(298) 


WITHOUT   THE   WALLS.  299 

In  the  beach  hollow  the  army  of  Xuarez  was  encamped, 
partly  in  the  houses,  partly  in  the  tents  which  whitely 
dotted  the  desolate  shore.  Owing  to  the  rapid  fall  of  the 
ground  from  the  ramparts,  the  invaders  were  quite  safe 
from  the  cannon  of  the  forts.  These  could  defend  the 
town  against  the  attack  of  ships,  but  were  unable  to 
be  depressed  sufficiently  to  command  the  spot  where  the 
rebels  were  encamped;  thus,  in  the  very  jaws  of  danger, 
lay  the  beseigers  in  comparative  safety.  Jack,  surveying 
all  this  through  a  telescope,  was  astonished  to  see  that  the 
engineers  who  had  constructed  the  defenses  had  been  so 
foolish  as  to  leave  this  debatable  ground  between  rampart 
and  sea.  Perhaps  they  deemed  that  the  cannon  would  not 
permit  ships  to  approach  near  enough  for  the  disembarking 
of  hostile  troops,  but  they  seemed  to  have  forgotten  that  the 
heavy  guns  of  a  man-of-war  could  silence  the  forts.  This, 
perhaps,  had  not  been  done,  as  the  cannon  on  the  ramparts 
still  defended  the  city;  but  there  was  no  doubt  in  Jack's 
mind  that  Don  Hypolito  had  landed  his  troops  under 
cover  of  a  heavy  fire  from  his  three  ships  directed  at  the 
forts.  Once  encamped  on  shore,  and  the  besiegers  could 
bid  defiance  to  the  lines  of  cannon,  whose  balls  passed 
harmlessly  over  their  heads. 

"  Ola,  Senor  Juan/'  said  Rafael's  gay  voice  behind  him, 
''you  are  up  early." 

"Good-morning,  mi  amigo,"  replied  Jack,  turning  with 
a  smile.  "  I  have  been  up  at  least  half  an  hour  examining 
the  town." 

"A  place  forsaken  of  God,  is  it  not?  Dios!  to  think 
that  some  fools  would  have  this  to  be  the  capital  of  Chola- 
caca.  Swamps  there,  sandy  plains  yonder.  Holy  Mary! 
how  can  it  compare  with  Tlatonac?" 

"  It  is  the  first  time  I  have  been  so  far  south,  and  I  don't 
think  much  of  either  country  or  town." 

"  Oh,  the  situation  is  good  for  defense." 

"I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,  Rafael.  It  is  true  that  the 
city  is  built  on  a  rocky  height  and  well  defended  by  swamp 
and  desert;  but  look  how  safely  enemies  can  lie  under  the 
walls." 

"Eh!  what  would  you,  Juan?  The  muzzles  of  the  guns 
can  not  be  depressed  sufficiently  to  sweep  the  beach." 

"  Then  why  didn't  the  engineers  build  two  forts  right 
and  left,  in  order  to  command  the  intervening  ground  ?" 


300  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  Dios!    And  thus  knock  each  other  to  pieces." 

"True.  Well,  then,  have  one  fort.  See,  mi  amigo. 
On  the  right,  that  wide  swamp  is  a  sufficient  protection 
against  the  approach  of  an  enemy;  but  had  I  constructed 
the  defenses  of  the  town,  I  would  have  run  an  arm  of  forts 
between  the  desert  and  that  sea-fort.  Thus  a  double  line 
of  cannon  would  have  commanded  the  beach,  and  even  if 
an  enemy  did  succeed  in  landing  in  face  of  the  fire  of  the 
town-forts,  they  could  not  have  encamped  there  as  they 
have  done." 

''That  is  true,  Juan,"  replied  Eafael,  who  now  had  the 
telescope  to  his  eye.  "  But  it  is  now  too  late  to  deplore 
the  lack  of  defenses.  The  rebels  have  landed,  and  are 
safely  bestowed  within  stone-throw  of  the  city.  Look  at 
the  number  of  them,  and  all  on  the  alert.  Santissima! 
they  won't  feel  very  happy  this  morning,  now  that  they 
see  The  Pizarro  is  lost." 

"  Surely,"  said  Jack,  taking  no  notice  of  this  last  remark, 
"surely  Pedraza  does  not  intend  to  land  two  hundred  men 
directly  in  front  of  the  town?" 

"It  is  foolish,  I  admit,"  answered  Rafael,  shrugging 
his  shoulders;  "but  what  with  a  sally  of  our  troops  from 
the  town,  and  the  guns  of  our  boats  playing  on  the  beach, 
it  ma)7  be  managed." 

"  I  doubt  it.  Two  hundred  men  may  land  under  cover 
of  our  fire;  but  believe  me,  Eafael,  fifty  will  not  break 
through  that  living  barrier  and  enter  the  town." 

"I  grant  that.  As  I  said  last  night,  it  is  a  useless  waste 
of  life,  and  His  Excellency  must  have  surely  forgotten  the 
situation  of  Jan j alia  when  he  gave  such  a  rash  command. 
But  what  else  can  be  done,  save  obey  his  order?  " 

"  Obey  it,  by  all  means,  but  not  in  the  way  commanded." 

"  What  do  you  mean?" 

Jack  was  sweeping  the  shore  right  and  left  with  the 
telescope,  and  did  not  reply  for  a  few  minutes.  At  length 
he  spoke,  indicating  the  several  points  he  mentioned  with 
his  hand. 

"  Behold,  mi  amigo,"  he  said,  pointing  toward  the  desert, 
"  to  land  there  would  be  foolish,  as  the  enemy  could  march 
along  to  defend  that  point  while  the  boats  pulled  in.  The 
same  with  the  central  position.  It  is  madness  to  land  in 
the  teeth  of  two  thousand  men.  But  look  to  the  right. 


WITHOUT   THE   WALLS.  301 

Why  not  land  the  troops  up  the  coast,  and  let  the  swamp 
lie  between  them  and  the  enemy?  " 

"Bueno!"  replied  Rafael,  seizing  the  idea  at  once. 
"  But  how  do  you  propose  to  enter  the  city?  " 

' '  Ah,  that  I  can't  say,  not  knowing  the  geography  of 
the  place." 

'•I  have  a  map  below.  Come  with  me,  Juan,  and  we 
will  invent  some  plan,  then  go  on  board  The  Iturbide  to 
interview  Pedraza.  I  am  Avith  you  in  trying  to  prevent 
this  sacrifice  of  two  hundred  men  by  landing  them  in  the 
jaws  of  danger." 

They  went  down  to  the  cabin,  and  Eafael,  after  hunting 
about  for  a  few  minutes,  found  a  map  of  the  southern 
portion  of  Cholacaca.  He  spread  it  out  on  the  table,  and 
they  began  to  examine  it  at  once. 

"  Here! "  said  Jack,  drawing  his  finger  along  the  paper; 
"here  is  Janjalla,  here  the  swamp  and  river,  beyond  is  a 
kind  of  rolling  prairie.  If  we  land  the  troops  here,  we 
can  march  them  parallel  to  the  river,  into  the  interior 
country." 

"That  is  so,  mi  amigo!  But,  you  see,  the  river  is  ever 
between  the  troops  and  the  city.  If  the  enemy  see  our 
men  marching  on  this  side,  they  can  march  on  the  other, 
and  so  keep  our  men  from  entering  the  city." 

"Not  if  Pedraza  signals  to  the  forts.  You  forget  that 
the  rebels  are  only  safe  so  long  as  they  keep  in  the  hollow 
of  the  beach.  If  they  march  up  on  the  right  they  expose 
themselves  to  a  heavy  fire.  Consequently  the  forts  can 
keep  them  in  check,  and  our  troops,  marching  along  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  stream,  can  surely  find  some  ford  by 
which  to  cross,  and  then  gain  the  inland-gate  of  Janjalla 
by  a  detour." 

"  Como,  no!"  exclaimed  Rafael,  in  a  lively  tone,  rolling 
up  the  map.  "  It  is  not  at  all  a  bad  idea.  Let  us  board 
The  Iturbide  and  explain  your  plan  to  the  Comandaute." 

"AVho  commands  the  expedition?"  asked  Jack,  as  he 
hastily  snatched  up  a  brace  of  revolvers  and  a  heavy 
cloak. 

"'Don  Sebastian  de  Ahumada.  He  is  a  great  friend  of 
mine.  In  fact,"  added  Rafael,  laughing,  "he  is  a  cousin 
of  Dona  Carmen cita  de  Tejada." 

"My  poor  Rafael,  your  suit  does  not  progress  much  in 
that  quarter." 


302  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

"Not  with  Don  Jose1,  perhaps;  but  I  am  content  to  wait 
till  the  war  is  ended,  so  far  as  my  angel  is  concerned.  She 
will  be  true  to  me,  as  I  to  her.  By  the  way,  mi  amigo, 
know  you  that  Don  Jose"  is  now  Governor  of  Acauhtzin,  in 
the  absence  of  Don  Hypolito?" 

"  No,  I  did  not  know  it.     Is  Don  Hypolito  yonder?" 

"Not  now.  He  was  on  board  The  Cortes,  and  has  gone 
back  to  Acauhtzin,  but  will  doubtless  come  south  again 
to  personally  conduct  the  war." 

"  I  would  like  to  get  a  shot  at  him,"  said  Jack,  grimly; 
"  the  brute.  I  will  never  forgive  him  for  his  treachery. 
Well,  who  knows — 

Perhaps  a  recruit 
May  chance  to  shoot 
Great  General  Bonaparte." 

"What  say  you?"  asked  Kafael,  puzzled  at  those  lines, 
which  were  recited  in  English. 

"  Nothing,  nothing.  A  something  to  relieve  my  feelings. 
Is  that  boat  never  going  to  be  ready  ?  " 

"  It  is  ready  now,"  said  the  young  man,  gaily;  "  in  with 
you,  mi  amigo!  Kow  to  The  Iturbide,  Benito!  So;  give 
Avay,  men!" 

The  oars  dipped  into  the  water  as  the  sun  arose  in  the 
east,  and  the  boat  shot  away  from  The  Montezuma  over  a 
flood  of  gold.  Eafael  was  in  great  spirits,  and  chatted 
gaily  all  the  time;  but  Jack,  thinking  of  the  peril  of  the 
proposed  expedition,  was  graver.  Besides,  he  Avas  anxious 
about  the  safety  of  Philip  and  Tim. 

"By  the  way,"  said  Eafael,  suddenly,  "Don  Pedro  did 
not  return  with  us  last  night." 

"N"o;  Pedraza  asked  him  to  sleep  on  board  The  Iturbide. 
See,  there  he  is  looking  over  the  bulwarks.  I  can  tell  him 
by  the  flash  of  the  sun  on  his  spectacles!" 

"Dios!  How  strange!  Will  Don  Pedro  go  with  you 
into  the  town?" 

"Certainly  not,"  replied  Jack,  decisively;  it  is  too 
risky!  Take  him  back  with  you  to  Tlatonac." 

"  Assuredly!  My  aunt  would  never  forgive  me  if  harm 
came  to  Don  Pedro." 

Eafael  laughed  heartily  at  the  idea;  for  this  undutiful 
nephew  was  much  amused  at  the  flirtation  between  Peter 
and  Serafina, 


WITHOUT  THE   WALLS.  303 

"  She  will  marry  him,  Juan!     I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  Then  we  will  have  four  weddings  when  the  war  is  over. 
Rafael." 

4 '  Four  weddings.    For  todos  santos !    What  mean  you  ?  " 

"Myself  and  Dolores,  yourself  and  Dona  Carmencita, 
Pedro  and  your  aunt,  and  Senor  Felipe  and  Dona  Eulalia! " 

"Eh,  mi  amigo!"  cried  Rafael,  in  a  lively  tone,  "does 
my  sister  favor  that  cavalier  ?  Dios !  what  says  my  father  ?  " 

"  He  does  not  know  anything  yet.  But  as  he  has  con- 
sented to  receive  one  heretic  into  his  family,  he  can  surely 
stretch  a  point,  and  receive  two." 

"  Como,  no!  But  it  may  be!  Who  knows?  Ah! 
here  we  are  at  The  Iturbide.  Come,  Juan!" 

They  climbed  up  the  side  of  the  cruiser,  and  were 
received  by  Captain  Pedraza  and  Peter. 

"  Buenos  dias  de  Dios  a  ustedes,  Sefiores,"said  Pedraza, 
greeting  them  heartily.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you  both,  as  I 
wish  to  land  these  troops  at  once.  Senor  Pedro  desires  to 
go  also." 

"What  nonsense,  Peter,"  said  Jack,  in  English,  turn- 
ing to  his  friend;  "it  is  too  dangerous.  You  stay  on 
board,  and  go  back  to  Tlatonac." 

"I  will  not!"  returned  the  doctor,  indignantly;  "you 
are  going,  so  why  should  not  I?  Besides,  I  wish  to  see 
Tim,  and  to  be  certain  that  Philip  has  arrived  safely." 

"  I  don't  want  you  killed,  Peter,"  protested  Jack. 

"  I  won't  be  killed  any  more  than  you  will  be,  Jack. 
It's  not  a  bit  of  use  your  talking,  I'm  going  with  you.  I 
have  my  medicine-chest  with  me." 

"Oh,  well,  obstinacy!  have  it  your  own  way,"  replied 
Duval,  touched  by  this  proof  of  Peter's  friendship;  "  but 
Tim  will  pitch  at  me  for  bringing  you  into  danger." 

"Tim  will  be  glad  enough  to  have  a  doctor  at  hand. 
Why,  Jack,  I  should  have  been  at  Totatziue  to  cure  you." 

"  Cocom  was  good  at  a  pinch." 

"  A  quack!"  muttered  Peter,  scornfully.  He  could  not 
forgive  Cocom  having  cured  Jack  so  rapidly.  It  was  a 
case  of  professional  jealousy. 

"Senor  Duval, "said  Pedraza,  approaching  Jack,  "Don 
Rafael  tells  me  you  and  he  have  hit  on  a  plan  to  land  the 
troops  without  danger." 

Jack  signified  that  they  had  some  such  idea  in  their 


304  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

heads,  and  in  company  with  Pedraza,  they  went  below  to 
look  at  the  map.  Don  Sebastian  followed  them,  and  after 
a  long  discussion,  the  Comandante  decided  to  accept  the 
suggestion.  The  Iturbide  raised  her  anchor,  and  steamed 
a  short  distance  up  the  coast,  so  as  to  land  the  troops 
beyond  the  swamp.  Signals  having  been  made  to  the  tor- 
pederas,  they  remained  in  their  former  position,  before  the 
town. 

When  the  rebels  saw  The  Iturbide  moving  northward, 
they  shouted  with  joy,  thinking  that  she  was  about  to 
leave  the  harbor;  but  their  delight  was  turned  into  rage  as 
they  saw  boat  after  boat  drop  from  her  sides,  and,  laden 
with  troops,  make  for  the  shore.  Numbers  ran  along  the 
beach  to  the  verge  of  the  swamp,  but  here  their  progress 
was  stayed,  as  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  cross  the 
quagmire.  They  could  only  remain  quiet,  and  gesticulate 
Avith  anger,  though  many  fired  their  guns,  and  two  can- 
nons were  brought  along  the  shore  in  the  hope  of  doing 
some  damage. 

As  yet  they  were  safe,  from  the  forts  being  too  much  in 
the  hollow;  but  when  Pedraza  saw  the  cannons  brought 
up,  he  opened  fire  with  his  Armstrongs,  and  signaled  to 
the  torpederas.  These  steamed  abreast  of  the  swamp  at 
once,  and  did  considerable  damage  with  their  rapid-firing 
Hotchkiss  guns.  Under  cover  of  this  cannonade,  the  whole 
of  the  troops  were  duly  landed,  in  admirable  order,  with 
the  utmost  celerity,  and  then  Jack,  Peter,  and  Don 
Sebastian  prepared  to  go  on  shore.  Pedraza  gave  De 
Ahumada  sealed  orders  for  Gigedo  from  the  President,  and 
Rafael  occupied  himself  in  saying  farewell  to  his  English 
friends. 

"You  have  your  revolvers,  mis  amigos?"  he  said, 
anxiously;  "and  swords?  Good!  Cloaks?  Ah,  that  is 
well.  Have  also  these  flasks  of  aguardiente;  you  will  need 
sustenance.  The  march  to  the  inland-gate  may  be  a  long 
one.  Adios." 

"Adios,"  replied  Jack,  dropping  over  the  side.  "Give 
my  love  to  Dolores  when  you  return  to  Tlatonac:" 

"  I  shall  not  fail.  And,  Don  Pedro,  have  you  any  mes- 
sage?" 

"Si,  Senor,"  replied  Peter,  in  his  hesitating  Spanish. 
"  Dona  Dolores.  Escarabajos." 


WITHOUT   THE    WALLS.  305 

"  Beetles! "  echoed  Rafael,  in  great  astonishment. 
"  What  does  he  mean  by  beetles?" 

His  curiosity  was  not  gratified,  for  already  the  boat  was 
making  rapidly  for  the  shore,  and  Jack,  standing  up  in  the 
stern,  was  waving  his  adieux  to  all  on  board. 

By  this  time  the  sun  was  far  above  the  horizon,  and 
already  the  heat  was  becoming  unpleasantly  great.  Don 
Sebastian  at  once  formed  his  men  into  marching  order, 
and  the  little  company  proceeded  along  the  bank  of  the 
river  toward  the  interior  of  the  country.  Before  them 
spread  a  kind  of  rolling  downs,  with  undulating  hills, 
sparsely  covered  with  vegetation.  Here  and  there  patches 
of  yellow  sand,  streaked  with  fine  white  dust.  On  one 
side  stretched  the  illimitable  plains,  and  on  the  other 
the  ground,  marshy  and  treacherous,  sank  imperceptibly 
into  the  bed  of  the  slow-flowing  river.  Beyond  this,  an 
interval  of  firm  land  for  some  considerable  distance,  and 
then  the  rocky  shelf  on  which  Janjalla  was  built.  In  front 
the  stream  meandered  in  an  erratic  manner  inland;  away 
in  the  extreme  distance  appeared  the  dim  line  of  forest, 
above  which  arose  the  snowy  cone  of  Xicotencatl.  Over  all 
arched  the  cloudless  blue  sky,  with  the  sun  flaming  hotly 
in  the  east. 

The  rebels  had  been  considerably  cut  up  by  the  incessant 
firing  of  the  ships,  and  had  wisely  fallen  back  into  their 
camp.  When,  however,  they  saw  the  loyalists  moving 
inland,  along  the  bank  of  the  stream,  a  troop  of  cavalry, 
some  hundreds  strong,  galloped  toward  the  swamp  to 
intercept  them,  if  possible.  The  cruiser  and  the  torpederas 
were  still  in  their  former  position,  and  as  the  cavalry 
turned  the  fatal  corner,  to  make  for  the  inner  country, 
they  opened  a  heavy  cannonade.  Considerable  damage 
was  inflicted,  particularly  by  the  Hotchkiss  guns,  and  num- 
bers of  riders  were  soon  struggling  on  the  ground  with 
their  wounded  horses.  In  a  few  minutes,  however,  the 
troops,  nothing  dismayed,  escaped  beyond  the  line  of  fire, 
and  galloped  parallel  with  the  loyalists,  between  swamp 
and  walls. 

This  defile  proved  to  be  a  perfect  death-trap,  for  those 
within  the  town,  having  observed  the  landing  of  the  rein- 
forcements, and  the  chase  by  the  enemy,  opened  fire  from 
the  fortp,  and  shattered  the  compact  mass  of  horses  and 

20 


306  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

men  as  they  bteadily  galloped  along.  At  length,  however, 
they  had  to  cease  their  fire,  as  the  rebels  artfully  kept 
abreast  of  the  loyalists,  and  at  times  the  balls  swept  across 
the  swamp  and  played  havoc  with  the  soldiers  of  Don 
Sebastian.  The  only  thing  to  be  done,  therefore,  was  to  let 
the  cavalry  go  free,  and  trust  to  a  hand-to-hand  combat 
when  on  the  sandy  plains  at  the  back  of  the  town. 

Both  the  ships  and  the  forts,  however,  were  determined 
that  no  more  of  the  enemy  should  join  in  the  pursuit,  for 
a  heavy  cannonade  was  kept  up  as  another  troop  tried  to 
follow,  and  effectually  held  them  back. 

"Bueno!"  said  Don  Sebastian,  when  he  saw  this.  "We 
will  have  but  to  deal  with  those  abreast  of  us:  no  more  can 
follow/' 

"Cavalry  against  infantry,  mi  amigo!  It  is  unequal, 
particularly  if  we  try  to  cross  the  river." 

"  Perhaps  those  in  the  town  will  come  to  our  assistance," 
suggested  Peter,  who  was  trudging  along  manfully. 

"  It  is  probable,"  replied  De  Ahumada  when  this  remark 
was  translated  into  good  Spanish  by  Jack.  "  See,  we  are 
now  nearly  at  the  end  of  the  town.  Yonder  is  the  land- 
gate.  If  we  remain  here,  assistance  may  come,  and  while 
the  cavalry  are  defending  themselves  against  our  friends, 
we  may  be  able  to  cross  the  river." 

"  Yes;  that  is  if  the  cavalry  don't  get  reinforced  by  their 
own  men  coming  round  the  other  side  of  the  town." 

"  Dios!"  exclaimed  Don  Sebastian,  grimly,  "reinforce- 
ments certainly  can  come  that  way,  but  they  will  be  forced 
to  make  a  wide  detour  in  order  to  keep  out  of  range  of  the 
fort  guns.  By  the  time  they  come  up  we  may  be  inside 
the  walls." 

"I  fervently  trust  so,  Senor,"  replied  Duval,  who, 
though  no  coward,  did  not  relish  the  idea  of  engaging  two 
hundred  infantry  with  double  the  number  of  cavalry. 

The  city  was  enclosed  by  walls  of  a  considerable  height, 
was  shaped  in  a  triangular  fashion,  the  base  being  toward 
the  ocean  and  the  land-gate  at  the  acute  angle  inland. 
They  had  now  walked  some  distance  past  the  gate  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  and  a  wide  sheet  of  water  rolled 
between  them  and  their  enemies.  On  all  sides  spread  the 
sandy  plain,  and  the  walls  of  the  city  rose  suddenly  from 
the  flat  surface  in  a  most  unexpected  fashion.  On  the  left 


WITHOUT  THE  WALLS.  307 

bank  halted  the  cavalry  of  the  enemy,  prepared  to  dispute 
their  crossing,  and  Don  Sebastian  was  sorely  puzzled  as  to 
what  was  the  best  course  to  pursue. 

"  It  is  madness  to  cross  in  the  face  of  that,  Don  Juan." 

"  Well,  if  we  don't  cross  at  once  they  will  be  reinforced 
from  the  other  side,  and  then  it  will  be  worse. " 

"  Look,  Jack,  look!  "  cried  Peter  at  this  moment,  "  the 
gates  are  open!" 

Just  as  he  spoke  a  body  of  cavalry  debouched  from  the 
city  and  came  rapidly  toward  the  rebels.  They  at  once 
turned  to  meet  this  new  clanger,  and  thus  their  attention 
was  drawn  off  the  infantry,  upon  seeing  which  Don  Sebas- 
tian waited  a  few  minutes  until  the  opposing  forces  clashed 
together,  and  then  gave  the  order  to  cross  the  river. 

"  Must  we  strip?"  asked  Peter,  ruefully,  looking  at  the 
three  hundred  yards  of  water  before  him. 

"  Strip!  no,  man! "  said  Jack,  laughing,  "  unless  you  want 
to  enter  Janjalla  naked.  You  can  swim.  At  least  you  did 
at  Bedford." 

"  Of  course  I  can  swim,"  said  Peter,  testily,  "  but  I 
hate  getting  my  clothes  wet." 

"  Oh,  hang  your  clothes!  The  river  is  slow-flowing,  so 
it  is  easy  to  get  across.  See!  the  advance  files  are  in 
already.  In  with  you ! " 

Peter  did  not  need  any  second  admonition,  but  waded 
into  the  water  beside  Jack  and  Don  Sebastian.  The  cav- 
alry, which  otherwise  would  have  shot  them  down  as  they 
swam  across,  were  fully  occupied  with  the  loyalist  regiment 
from  Janjalla.  Already  in  the  extreme  distance  dark 
masses  might  be  seen  rapidly  moving  along.  They  were 
the  reinforcements  for  the  rebels  making  a  detour  on  the 
other  side  of  the  city.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  be  lost. 

In  a  remarkably  short  space  of  time  the  whole  of  the 
infantry  had  crossed,  and  were  now  standing  high  and  dry 
on  the  other  bank.  Not  even  giving  them  time  to  shake 
the  water  from  their  clothes,  Don  feebastian  made  them 
kneel  and  open  fire  on  the  rebels  in  the  rear.  Fortunately 
each  man  had  piled  his  musket  and  ammunition  on  his  head, 
so  their  arms  were  in  excellent  condition,  and  their  cart- 
ridges unwetted.  A  fusillade  burst  from  the  line  and 
wrought  considerable  damage  in  the  ranks  of  the  enemy. 
Taken  thus  between  two  fires  the  rebels  found  themselves 


308  THE  HARLEQUIN"  OPAL. 

iii  exceedingly  hot  water,  but  trusting  that  their  comrades 
would  soon  reach  them,  turned  and  tried  to  ride  down  the 
infantry.  The  soldiers  immediately  sprung  to  their  feet 
and  scattered  widely,  firing  into  the  brown  whenever  they 
got  a  chance. 

Fresh  troops  of  loyalist  cavalry  poured  out  of  the  gates 
and  made  for  the  scene  of  action.  What  with  being 
pretty  nearly  equally  matched  with  the  cavalry,  and  exposed 
to  the  galling  fire  of  the  infantry,  the  rebels  began  to  lose 
heart,  and,  breaking  into  disorderly  masses,  spread  over 
the  plain.  The  gates  of  the  city  were  distant  a  quarter  of 
a  mile,  and  seeing  that  the  reinforcements  of  the  enemy 
were  close  at  hand,  Don  Sebastian  shouted  to  his  men  to 
close  up  and  make  for  the  shelter  of  the  walls.  Seeing 
this,  the  rebel  reinforcements,  darting  between  the  moving 
loyalists  and  the  gates,  tried  to  cut  them  off,  but  Avere  met 
in  their  turn  by  the  mounted  troops  from  Janjalla.  The 
plain  was  strewn  with  dead  and  dying,  and  the  incessant 
cracking  of  rifles,  the  yells  of  the  combatants,  and  the 
thick  clouds  of  pungent  smoke  added  to  the  horrors  of 
the  skirmish. 

A  huge  trooper  rode  straight  at  Peter,  and  rolled  him 
in  the  dust,  but  Jack,  being  close  at  hand,  shot  the  horse 
with  his  revolver,  and  pulled  his  friend  out  of  harm's  way. 
By  this  time  they  were  near  the  gates,  and  Peter  being 
somewhat  stunned  by  his  knock-down,  was  dragged  along 
rapidly  by  Jack,  who  wanted  to  get  him  into  shelter  as 
speedily  as  possible. 

It  was  now  dangerous  for  the  infantry  to  fire,  as  friend 
and  foe  were  blended  in  an  inextricable  mass;  so,  forming 
line  as  speedily  as  possible,  they  ran  for  the  gate,  and  at 
length  reached  it  in  safety.  Seeing  that  they  were  now 
out  of  danger,  the  cavalry  of  Janjalla  began  to  retreat 
toward  the  portal.  To  the  left  of  the  town,  great  masses 
of  reinforcements  were  moving  up,  and  it  would  have  been 
madness  to  have  opposed  them  with  the  small  force  of 
loyalists  outside.  The  cavalry  galloped  back,  and  as  by 
this  time  the  infantry  had  fled  inside  the  walls,  the  gates 
were  closed  at  once. 

"Jack!  Jack!  Peter!"  cried  a  well-known  voice,  as 
Tim,  grimy  with  gunpowder  and  smoke,  plunged  down 
the  street  toward  the  gate.  "  Are  you  safe?  " 


WITHOUT  THE   WALLS.  309 

"  Quite  safe.  But  why  the  deuce  are  these  men  coming 
back?  Why  don't  they  pour  out  and  exterminate  those 
devils?" 

"What!"  yelled  Tim,  throwing  up  his  arms  in  sur- 
prise. "Why,  they  can't  be  spared.  There's  but  seven 
hundred  men  here!" 

"Seven  hundred!"  cried  Jack,  seized  with  a  sudden 
qualm  of  fear.  "But  the  reinforcements — the  thousand 
men?" 

"No  reinforcements  have  arrived,  Jack." 

"And  Philip?" 

"  Philip ! "  said  Tim,  in  alarm.  "  Was  he  with  the  rein- 
forcements? God  be  gracious  to  me.  Not  a  man  has 
arrived.  When  did  they  leave  Tlatonac?" 

"Four  days  ago." 

"Four  days!     One  hundred  miles !" 

The  three  friends,  amid  the  tumult  around  them,  with 
the  enemy  thundering  at  the  gate,  looked  at  one  another 
in  silent  dread.  Then  Jack  took  off  his  sombrero. 

"Poor  Philip! "he  said,  solemnly.  "I  was  afraid  of 
those  Indians.  Oh,  my  poor  friend! " 


20 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


WITHIN   THE  WALLS 

Circle  of  stone, 

Circle  of  steel, 

Loyalists  true, 

Pent  up  in  battle  belts  twain; 

Yet  we,  alone, 

Doubly  feel 

That  with  our  few 

We  will  a  victory  gain. 

Climb  up  our  foes 

Over  the  wall, 

Deep  bit  the  swords, 

Fiercely  the  cannon  spouts  fire; 

Yet  'neath  our  blows 

Downward  they  fall, 

Traitorous  hordes, 

In  torment  and  blood  to  expire. 

Tim  at  once  took  his  friends  to  his  quarters  and  made 
them  comfortable,  but  scarcely  had  they  finished  a  hurried 
meal  when  an  aide-de-camp  arrived  from  General  Gigedo 
requiring  their  presence  without  delay.  As  Peter  had 
received  a  nasty  blow  on  the  head  during  the  meUe,  Jack 
insisted  that  he  should  remain  behind  and  rest  himself. 
Peter  feebly  remonstrated  against  this  arrangement,  as  he 
wanted  to  accompany  his  friends,  but  in  the  end  was  forced 
to  yield  to  their  insistence.  Then  Duval  buckled  on  his 
sword,  slipped  his  revolvers  into  his  belt,  and  went  off  with 
Tim  to  report  himself  at  headquarters. 

Both  of  them  were  terribly  alarmed  about  Philip.  In 
the  first  burst  of  emotion  Jack  had  deemed  his  friend 
dead;  but,  on  looking  at  the  matter  calmly,  it  seemed 
probable  that  he  would  yet  turn  up  well  and  unhurt.  It 
was  impossible  that  Indians,  in  whatever  number,  could 
utterly  exterminate  a  body  of  disciplined  troops  amount- 
ing to  a  thousand  men.  Tim's  opinion  was  that  if  they 
had  been  attacked  and  overpowered  by  strategy,  they  had 

(310) 


WITHIN   THE   WALLS.  311 

fled  to  the  nearest  town  for  shelter.  As  he  had  marched 
overland  with  Colonel  Garibay  from  Tlatonac,  he  knew 
the  country  better  than  did  Jack,  and  proceeded  to  defend 
his  theory  of  the  reinforcements'  safety  by  describing  the 
position  of  the  towns. 

"  It's  a  hundred  miles  or  more,  as  the  crow  flies,  from 
Tlatonac  to  this  God-forsaken  place.  Within  that  limit 
are  four  towns,  no  less — one  every  twenty  miles.  When 
we  marched  south  two  weeks  ago,  we  first  went  to 
Chichimec,  then  to  Puebla  de  los  Naranjos,  which  last  one 
is  midway.  Hermanita  is  next,  and  then,  after  dropping 
in  at  Centeotl,  we  came  on  to  Janjalla." 

"  Still,  if  the  Indians  surprised  them  by  night  they 
might  have  surrounded  and  exterminated  the  whole  lot. 
To  my  mind  nothing  is  so  dangerous  as  a  despised 
enemy." 

"What!"  cried  Tim,  with  great  contempt,  "d'you 
mean  to  tell  me  that  a  lot  of  naked  savages  could  manage 
that.  By  my  soul,  'tis  impossible!" 

"  But,  my  dear  fellow,  the  Indians  are  out  in  thousands. 
Cocom  told  me  so." 

"They  may  be  out  in  millions,"  retorted  Tirn,  emphatic- 
ally. "I  tell  you,  Jack,  they  couldn't  have  killed  all 
those  men.  A  good  number  of  them  must  have  escaped  to 
the  nearest  town,  and  I'll  lay  my  soul  on  it  that  among 
those  who  got  away  is  Philip.  He  wasn't  born  to  be 
murdered  by  a  lot  of  howling  savages." 

"Well,  let  us  hope  so,  replied  Jack,  who  was  beginning 
to  take  this  comfortable  view  of  things  himself;  "but 
tell  me,  Tim,  when  the  reinforcements  didn't  arrive,  why 
did  you  not  wire  to  Tlatonac?" 

"Begad!  I  couldn't.  The  rebels  cut  the  telegraph- 
wires  some  days  since.  The  last  message  was  that  you 
and  Dona  Dolores  had  come  back  safely.  But,  my  boy," 
cried  Tim,  slapping  Jack  on  the  shoulder,  "  didn't  I  sing 
' Glory  Hallelujah'  when  I  heard  that  same.  But  I  knew 
you'd  turn  up  again  all  safe." 

"I  didn't  know  it  myself!"  replied  Jack,  grimly;  "it 
was  touch  and  go,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  Dioul !  You  must  tell  me  all  about  it.  But  hold  your 
noise,  Jack,  and  don't  be  lamenting  for  Philip.  If  you 
returned,  so  will  he." 


312  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  I  fervently  hope  so,"  said  Jack,  gloomily;  "  but  I  own 
that  I  feel  doubtful.  Are  the  wires  cut  in  both  sides  of 
the  town?  " 

"No,  glory  be  to  the  saints!  I  can  still  telegraph  to 
England  by  the  wires  going  south,  but  I  expect  them  cut 
every  minute,  so  Fm  hard  at  work  sending  all  the  news  I 
can." 

' ' Did  you  see  the  fight  last  night?  " 

"Did  I  not!  Whow,  my  boy!  I  guessed  what  was  up, 
but  till  the  dawn  we  weren't  quite  sure  of  the  trouble. 
Begad !  The  Pizarro'' s  gone  anyhow." 

"  Yes;  but  the  other  war-ships  and  transports  are  due 
to-night." 

"Then  we'll  have  another  fight,"  said  Tim,  coolly; 
"  wasn't  I  wishing  I  was  on  board  a  torpedera!  There's  a 
heap  to  talk  about,  Jack;  how  you  escaped  from  that  infer- 
nal Xuarez,  and  how  you  sank  The  Pizarro.  I  want  to 
wire  about  that  same  right  away." 

"  First  I  must  see  what  the  General  desires.  Oh,  here  is 
Garibay.  A  thousand  greetings.  Colonel." 

' '  What,  Senor  Juan !  Ah,  mi  amigo,  how  pleased  I  am 
to  see  you  safe  once  more.  I  deemed  you  were  dead." 

"Dios!  He  is  a  merry  corpse,  Senor,"  said  Tim,  turn- 
ing his  head.  "  Where  is  the  General?  " 

"Within  yonder  house  of  the  Jefe  Politico.  You  also, 
Senor  Corresponsal,  does  he  desire  to  see." 

"  I  am  at  the  service  of  Senor  Gigedo.  Know  you, 
Comandante,  what  he  desires  to  speak  of?" 

"It  is  that  you  will  convey  the  glorious  news  of  our 
naval  victory  to  your  granddiario." 

"Dios!  That  will  be  done  within  an  hour.  I  but 
waited  to  find  out  all  particulars  from  Don  Juan." 

"Oh!  I  can  tell  you  everything,"  said  Jack,  cheerfully; 
"I  was  on  board  2'he  Montezuma  with  Don  Eafael,  and  it 
was  her  torpedo  which  sank  The  Pizarro." 

"  Viva  los  torpederas!"  shouted  Garibay,  who  was  greatly 
excited  over  this  unexpected  victory. 

The  cry  was  taken  up  by  a  chattering  group  of  officers 
lounging  in  from  off  the  General's  headquarters,  and  Jack 
being  recognized  was  at  once  surrounded  by  them.  They 
were  mostly  }Toimg  fellows,  who  were  weary  of  being  pent 
up  within  the  wails  of  a  surburban  town,  and  saw  in  thif 


WITH1K  THE   WALLS.  313 

sinking  of  The  Pizarro  a  chance  of  coming  face  to  face 
with  the  enemy.  It  was  all  cries  of  Viva !  Bueno !  Graeias  a 
Dios!  as  Duval  passed  througli  their  midst,  and  many 
would  fain  have  detained  him  to  learn  particulars  of  the 
combat;  but  Jack  was  anxious  to  hear  Gigedo's  views  con 
cerning  the  non-arrival  of  the  reinforcements,  so  entered 
the  mansion  at  once.  Colonel  Garibay  conducted  them 
both  without  delay  to  the  General's  apartments.  Gigedo, 
cigarette  in  mouth,  was  poring  over  a  large  map  of  the 
country,  evidently  tracing  the  line  of  march  from  Tlatonac, 
but  on  seeing  Duval,  he  sprang  up  and  advanced  to  salute 
him,  with  a  pleased  smile. 

"A  thousand  congratulations,  Sefior,  on  your  escape 
from  the  hands  of  Xuarez,"  he  said,  warmly;  "and  still 
more  on  your  gallant  conduct  of  last  night." 

"Oh!  as  to  that,  General,  I  was  but  an  onlooker," 
replied  Duval,  modestly.  "The  credit  of  sinking  The 
Pizarro  rests  with  Don  Rafael  Maraquando.  Have  you 
heard  the  particulars?" 

"Assuredly,  Senor;  Don  Sebastian  de  Ahumada  has  left 
me  but  this  moment.  He  informed  me  of  the  affair,  and 
also  delivered  the  instructions  from  His  Excellency.  I 
find  here,"  added  Gigedo,  striking  a  pile  of  papers  with 
his  open  hand,  "that  over  a  thousand  men  left  Tlatonac 
for  the  front  four  days  ago." 

"That  is  so,  General.  My  friend,  Senor  Felipe,  was 
with  them." 

"  They  have  not  arrived,  Don  Juan.  The  troops  of 
Xuarez  can  not  have  intercepted  them,  and  I  am  at  a  loss 
to  understand  this  delay.  Can  you  explain?" 

"Senor,"  said  Jack,  after  a  pause,  "before  I  left  Tla- 
tonac there  were  rumors  of  an  Indian  rising.  While  a 
prisoner  at  Totatzine,  I  saw  myself  the  tribes  incited  to 
war  by  Ixtlilxochitli,  the  High  Priest  of  the  Chalchuih 
Tlatonac." 

"Ah,  that  cursed  opal!"  cried  Garibay,  fiercely;  "it  is 
the  cause  of  great  trouble.  Would  that  it  could  be  taken 
from  the  Indians." 

"Rest  content,  Senor  Garibay,  it  is  taken  from  the 
Indians.  Dona  Dolores  took  it  from  the  shrine,  and  it  is 
now  in  Tlatonac." 

"  Dios! "  exclaimed  the  General  and  Garibay,  simulta- 
neously, while  Tim  was  scarcely  less  astonished. 


,314  THE   HABLEQUIN    OPAL. 

"  Naturally  enough  the  Indians  wish  to  recover  this 
sacred  gem,  Senor,  therefore  the  rising  has  taken  place 
sooner  than  was  expected.  I  fear,  gentlemen,  that  the 
Indians  have  surprised  and  massacred  our  poor  friends/' 

"  Santissima  Madre!  a  thousand  men?" 

"  The  Indian  forces  amount  to  three  times  that  number/' 
said  Jack,  quickly.  "It  is  true  that  His  Excellency,  at 
my  request,  sent  messengers  after  the  reinforcements  to 
warn  them  of  a  possible  attack.  Yet  it  is  not  unlikely 
that  these  messengers  may  have  been  intercepted  by  the 
Indians.  They  might  have  fallen  on  the  reinforcements 
without  warning,  and  then — Senor,  three  thousand  against 
one  thousand — an  unexpected  attack.  Alas!  it  is  a  terri- 
ble risk." 

"Our  troops  may  have  retreated  to  one  of  the  towns," 
said  Gigedo,  taking  the  same  view  of  the  case  as  had  Tim. 
"This  I  would  know  if  the  telegraph-wires  had  not  been 
cut.  But  as  it  is  we  can  but  wait." 

"And  meantime,"  remarked  Garibay,  dryly,  "  Xnarez 
will  land  some  troops — already  two  thousand  lie  before  the 
town;  we  have  hard  work,  even  behind  our  walls,  to  keep 
them  back.  Now  we  have  scarcely  five  hundred  here  capa- 
ble of  defending  the  town.  Many  are  dead  and  wounded 
— fever  and  dysentery  prevail  greatly.  If  Xuarez  lands 
more  troops  and  makes  an  immediate  attack,  Janjalla  must 
fall." 

"  He  can  not  land  more  troops  while  The  Iturbide  and 
torpederas  guard  the  harbor,"  said  Gigedo,  in  a  tone  of 
some  displeasure;  "and  even  if  these  two  thousand  again 
assault  the  walls  we  can  hold  out  until  reinforcements 
arrive.  His  Excellency  tells  me  that  two  thousand  men 
are  to  follow  in  ten  days." 

"  Hark!"  cried  Tim,  as  Garibay  was  about  to  reply;  "a 
gun! — another.  Senores,  the  war-ships  are  at  it  again. 
With  your  permission,  General." 

He  hastily  left  the  room  and  went  off  to  the  walls,  where 
he  was  soon  afterward  joined  by  Jack,  who  had  been 
hurriedly  dismissed  by  the  General.  They  looked  seaward 
and  saw  the  performance  of  a  most  extraordinary  drama. 

It  was  now  about  three  o'clock,  and  the  ocean  like  a 
sheet  of  glass  stretched  in  an  inclined  plane  upward  to  the 
distant  horizon.  Owing  to  the  elevation  of  the  city  walls 


WITHIN   THE   WALLS.  315 

they  looked  down  as  from  the  heights  of  an  amphitheater. 
The  ramparts  were  crowded  with  spectators,  townsfolk,  and 
soldiers.  Immediately  below  was  the  beach,  the  rebel 
camp;  then  the  long  pier  shooting  out  into  the  blue,  and 
beyond  the  flashing  expanse  of  the  sea.  The  Iturbide  was 
lying  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  shore  with  her  two 
torpederas,  one  on  each  side  of  her.  The  cruiser  had 
swung  round  and  was  firing  her  guns  at  a  slowly  approach- 
ing war-ship. 

<f  The  Columbus!"  cried  Jack,  when  his  eyes  fell  upon 
this  vessel. 

"  True  for  you,  John,"  said  Tim,  handing  him  the  glass. 
"She  has  come  south  by  herself.  I  thought  you  told  me 
the  transports  were  not  due  here  till  midnight. " 

"  No  more  they  are.  I  expect  Xuarez,  learning  through 
his  spies  of  our  departure  from  Tlatonac,  has  sent  The 
Columbus  on  ahead  to  join  forces  with  The  Pizarro.  With 
two  war-ships  he  hopes  to  keep  our  lot  at  bay  till  the  trans- 
ports with  The  Cortes  are  safe  in  the  harbor." 

"The  sinking  of  The  Pizarro  will  rather  upset  his 
plans.  The  Columbus  dare  not  attack  two  torpederas  and 
a  cruiser  single-handed." 

"Upon  my  soul!  that  seems  exactly  what  she  intends  to 
do,  Tim." 

A  low  murmur  of  surprise  arose  from  the  crowd  on  the 
ramparts,  who  were  eagerly  watching  the  war-ships.  It 
seemed  as  though  The  Columbus  were  bent  on  her  own 
destruction,  for  she  came  steaming  straight  ahead  for  the 
three  ships  of  the  Junta,  insolently  flying  the  red  flag  of 
Xuarez. 

"What  the  deuce  does  she  mean?"  cried  Tim,  in  per- 
plexity. "  Surely  she  can't  mistake  The  Iturbide  for  her 
consort." 

"  Perhaps  she  intends  to  desert?"  suggested  Jack. 

The  Columbus  was  now  more  within  range,  and,  though 
hitherto  she  had  been  silent  under  the  fire  of  The  Iturbide, 
she  now  began  to  speak  in  her  turn,  and  a  white  line  of 
smoke  ran  along  her  black  sides  as  the  balls  came  singing 
over  the  water. 

"  Not  much  deserting  about  that,"  said  Tim,  grimly. 
"  No!  the  rebels  have  some  scheme  in  their  heads." 

By  this  time  Pedraza  was  thoroughly  enraged  at  the 


316  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

insolence  of  this  one  ship  attacking  him  single-handed, 
and  signaled  at  once  to  the  torpederas.  The  captain  of 
The  Columbus  saw  that  the  signals  ordered  the  ooats  to 
"up  anchor,"  and  acted  accordingly.  In  a  surprisingly 
short  space  of  time  the  rebel  ship  had  swung  round,  and, 
with  full  steam  ahead,  was  standing  out  to  sea.  The  ships 
of  the  Junta  were  taken  by  surprise  at  this  maneuver, 
and  it  was  fully  a  question  of  an  hour  before  they  started 
in  pursuit.  Tim  shut  his  glass  with  a  click. 

"Jack,  I  see  it  all.  The  Columbus  wants  to  get  our 
boats  out  of  the  harbor  so  as  to  let  The  Cortes  and  the 
transports  slip  in  together." 

"  Rather  a  risky  game,  Tim.  She'll  be  overhauled  and 
sunk  by  the  torpederas  in  no  time." 

"Not  while  she  can  keep  them  off  with  her  heavy  guns! 
What  speed  have  the  torpederas?" 

"  Eighteen  to  nineteen  knots." 

"And  The  Columbus?" 

""Well,  Rafael  says  her  ordinary  speed  is  fifteen,  but  in 
case  of  need  she  can  crack  up  steam  to  eighteen." 

"Even  that  gives  the  torpederas  one  knot  to  the  good. 
But  she  can  outsteam  The  Iturbide." 

"Oh,  yes!  sixteen  is  her  limit." 

"Then  I  tell  you  what!  The  Columbus,  as  I  said,  has 
come  here  as  a  decoy;  she  knows  the  cruiser  can't  touch 
her  speed,  and  she  hopes  to  keep  the  torpederas  at  a  safe 
distance  with  her  heavy  guns.  She's  off  in  a  bee-line 
straight  out,  and  the  other  boats  are  after  her.  Then 
she'll  dodge  them  and  steam  back  here  to  find  The  Cortes 
and  the  transports  all  safe  in  harbor." 

"I  believe  you  are  right,  Tim." 

"  Of  course  I'm  right.  Look  at  the  way  she's  smoking 
through  the  water." 

Jack  put  the -glass  to  his  eyes  and  saw  The  Columbus 
was  traveling  at  top  speed  toward  the  open  sea.  After  her 
scampered  the  two  torpedo-boats  like  hounds  on  her  trail. 
Further  behind  The  Iturbide  with  the  black  smoke  vomit- 
ing from  her  funnels  was  putting  her  soul  into  the  chase. 
Pedraza  was  evidently  determined  to  follow  up  one  victory 
by  another,  and  overeager  to  sink  or  capture  the  crack  iron- 
clad of  the  rebels,  forgot  all  about  the  incoming  transports. 
Thus  in  half  an  hour  the  four  ships  were  mere  specks  on 


WITHIX  THE    WALLS.  317 

the  horizon,  and  the  harbor  of  Jaujalla  was  left  open  for 
the  arrival  of  Xuarez  and  fresh  troops. 

The  crowd  of  people  on  the  ramparts  was  too  excited  at 
the  stirring  spectacle  of  the  chase  to  think  of  such  a  thing, 
and  yelled  themselves  hoarse  in  cheering  for  Pedraza. 
Below  on  the  beach  the  rebels,  who  had  evidently  under- 
stood the  maneuvers  of  The  Columbus,  were  cheering 
vigorously  for  Don  Hypolito. 

"  Wait,  you  dogs,"  cried  Jack,  shaking  his  fists  at  them; 
"  soon  will  you  sing  another  tune." 

"  By  all  the  saints  so  Avill  we,"  said  Tim,  wisely;  "unless 
the  forts  keep  off  the  transports  we'll  have  another  two 
thousand  troops  down  there  this  night,  and  then — it's  wigs 
on  the  green  there  will  be." 

"I  agree  with  you,  Tim — unless  the  reinforcements 
arrive." 

"  Even  then,  four  thousand  attacking  a  town  can  do  a 
powerful  lot,  and  when  the  reinforcements  arrive  we'll 
only  have  one  thousand  five  hundred  to  put  against  them. 
However,  let  us  not  despair/'  added  Tim,  philosophically. 
"Come  with  me,  Don  Juan,  and  we'll  look  over  the  town. 
Then  we'll  go  and  see  if  there  is  any  sign  of  the  new 
troops." 

Jack  assented,  and  descending  from  the  ramparts  they 
made  their  way  through  the  town  to  the  house  where  Tim 
had  his  quarters.  The  streets  were  filled  with  soldiers, 
who  mostly  loooked  smart  and  well  fitted  for  their  work. 
Here  and  there  were  wounded  men,  and  a  few  sick  with 
malarial  fever  from  the  adjacent  swamp,  but  on  the  whole 
it  was  wonderful  how  healthy  was  the  town.  Twice  had 
the  rebels  assaulted  the  walls  and  twice  been  beaten  back, 
not  without  considerable  loss  of  men  on  the  side  of  the 
loyalists.  Fortunately,  provisions  were  plentiful,  and  it 
Avas  the  cool  season,  therefore  the  troops  of  the  Junta  were 
in  comparatively  good  condition.  Despite  their  small 
numbers,  they  were  so  heartened  by  the  sinking  of  The 
Pizarro  that  it  was  plain  they  would  fight  like  fiends  to 
hold  Janjalla  until  aid  arrived  from  the  capital. 

The  townspeople  took  the  fact  of  being  besieged  in  the 
most  contented  manner,  and  hardly  interrupted  their  daily 
occupations.  In  the  streets  the  tortilleras  were  crying  their 
wares,  the  water-carriers  proclaiming  the  fact  that  they 


318  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

sold  "aqua  limpia,"  and,  but  for  the  unusual  number  of 
soldiers,  it  would  have  been  quite  impossible  to  see  that 
the  city  was  in  the  very  jaws  of  danger.  At  times  a  woman 
wrapped  in  the  rebozo  would  pass  along  the  street,  but  as  a 
rule  they  kept  within  doors  and  showed  themselves  but 
rarely.  In  the  plazas  men  were  being  drilled,  and  many  of 
the  houses  were  used  as  hospitals  for  the  sick  and  wounded. 

Tim  and  Jack  made  their  way  through  the  crowded 
streets  and  duly  arrived  at  the  former's  quarters,  where 
they  found  Peter  eagerly  expecting  them.  He  was  weary 
of  being  by  himself,  and  when  he  heard  they  were  going  to 
the  land-gate  to  seek  news  of  the  reinforcements,  insisted 
on  accompanying  them.  After  taking  a  drink  of  aguardi- 
ente, of  which  they  stood  much  in  need,  owing  to  the 
exhaustion  caused  by  excitement,  the  three  friends  set  off 
at  once  to  see  if  they  could  hear  anything  about  the 
expected  troops. 

Don  Sebastian  was  fraternizing  with  the  captain  in  com- 
mand of  the  cavalry,  as  his  own  troops  had  been  sent  for- 
ward to  the  sea-ramparts.  The  mounted  regiments  were 
stationed  at  this  end  of  the  town,  as  they  were  more  useful 
in  sallies  than  were  the  infantry.  This  was  proved  by 
the  way  in  which  they  had  succored  the  soldiers  from  The 
Iturbide,  as  only  horsemen  could  have  kept  the  rebel 
troops  at  bay. 

"No  signs  yet,  Senor,"  said  Don  Sebastian,  politely; 
"but  half  an  hour  ago  the  General  sent  out  two  Indian 
scouts  with  instructions  to  inquire  at  Centeotl  for  our 
men." 

"  That  is  twenty  miles  away." 

"  Yes;  but  these  Indians  travel  fast.  Before  midnight 
we  will  hear  news  of  our  troops;  that  is  if  they  get  as  far 
south  as  Centeotl." 

"  And  before  midnight  Xuarez  will  have  landed  his  new 
regiments,"  said  Tim,  turning  away.  "  Well,  there's  no 
help  for  it,  I  suppose.  Come,  Jack  and  Peter,  'tis  no  use 
waiting  here.  We  must  wait  till  these  scouts  return." 

"And  meanwhile,  Tim?" 

"  Come  with  me  to  the  telegraph  office.  I'm  going  to 
send  an  account  of  the  sea-fight  to  my  paper." 

"  You  are  sure  the  wires  are  not  cut  to  the  southward  ?  " 
said  Peter,  as  they  trudged  along  to  the  office. 


WITHIN  THE  WALLS.  319 

"  They  weren't  this  morning,  anyhoAV.  Why  should  they 
cut  them?  All  they  want  to  do  is  to  intercept  communi- 
cation with  the  capital.  They  don't  care  two  straws  what 
goes  to  England." 

"Xuarez  does.     He  told  me  so." 

"  Ah!  but  you  see,  Xuarez  is  not  here  at  present,  and 
lias  forgotten  to  give  orders  to  cut  them.  When  he  arrives 
again,  he'll  do  it,  maybe." 

"  Well,  seeing  that  he  wishes  the  world  to  look  on  him 
as  a  noble  patriot,  he  certainly  won't  care  about  your  wiring 
plain  truths  about  him  to  the  old  country.  He'll  either 
cut  the  wires  or  bring  a  war  correspondent  on  his  own 
hook." 

"  A  rival!  "  cried  Tim,  indignantly.  "  If  I  thought  so, 
I'd  shoulder  a  musket  myself  and  go  out  to  shoot  the  dirty 
villain.  Here's  the  P.  0.,  my  boys!  Peter,  hold  your 
noise.  Jack's  going  to  give  me  a  history  of  the  fight. 

"  I  know  as  much  about  it  as  Jack  does,"  said  Peter,  in 
au  injured  tone,  as  they  entered  the  office. 

"Then  I'll  let  you  put  in  a  word  here  and  there,  "replied 
his  friend,  in  a  kind  tone.  "Why,  Peter,  I'd  do  anything 
to  please  you.  Didn't  I  think  you  were  knocked  out  of 
time  entirely?  Manuel,  are  the  wires  right?  " 

"  Yes,  Sefior,"  replied  the  operator,  a  dark  alert-looking 
man;  "  all  safe  to  Truxillo." 

"  Buenol  Then  they  will  be  safe  to  England.  Truxillo 
is  in  Honduras,  and  is  as  right  as  the  Bank.  Come,  Jack, 
begin  at  once !  " 

They  were  over  two  hours  at  this  business,  as,  what  with 
Jack's  roundabout  descriptions  and  Peter's  interruptions, 
it  took  some  time  for  Tim  to  get  the  story  ship-shape. 
Then  Manuel  was  constantly  wiring  the  intelligence  as 
transmitted  to  him  by  Tim,  who  took  full  advantage  of  the 
license  given  by  his  editor  to  send  extensive  telegrams.  It 
was  close  on  six  o'clock  when  he  finished,  and  he  was  just 
stretching  himself  with  a  yawn  after  his  long  spell  of  sit- 
ting, when  outside  a  murmur  began.  It  rapidly  swelled 
into  a  roar,  and  the  three  friends  rushed  out  of  the  office  to 
learn  what  new  event  had  taken  place.  The  telegraph 
office  was  situated  in  the  street  which  ran  straight  to  the 
land-gate,  and  down  this  street  they  saw  advancing  a  dense 
body  of  men. 


320  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"  Vivas  los  soldatos!    Viva  la  Republica! '' 

"  Hurrah! "  roared  Tim,  wildly,  "  'tis  the  reinforce- 
ments ! " 

"  There's  Philip! "  cried  Jack,  pushing  his  way  through 
the  crowd. 

"And  wounded!''  said  Peter,  noticing  with  a  true  pro- 
fessional eye  that  Cassim's  left  arm  hung  useless  by  his 
side. 

The  Jan j alia  band,  stationed  in  the  Plaza,  burst  out  into 
the  patriotic  strains  of  the  "  Opal  Fandango,"  the  crowd 
yelled  and  cheered,  the  soldiers  tramped  steadily  down  the 
street;  and  Tim,  to  the  imminent  danger  of  his  life,  flung 
himself  almost  under  the  feet  of  Philip's  horse. 

"  Philip,  my  dear  boy!     Here  we  are/' 

"  Tim!  Jack!  Thank  God!  "  cried  Philip,  and,  urging 
his  horse  a  little  way  to  the  side,  jumped  down  from  the 
saddle. 

Tim  gripped  one  hand,  Jack  the  other,  and  Peter  patted 
the  baronet  on  the  back.  Philip  looked  worn  and  haggard, 
and  winced  as  Tim  seized  his  left  hand. 

"Are  you  wounded?"  cried  Tim,  letting  it  go. 

"Yes;  but  not  badly.  An  Indian  arrow  through  the 
fleshy  part  of  the  arm." 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  Jack,  anxiously;  "then  Cocom  was 
right.  You  have  been  attacked  by  the  Indians." 

"Two  days  ago!  They  surprised  our  camp  by  night, 
and  came  in  in  overwhelming  force.  Velez  was  unable  to 
rally  his  men,  and  we  were  forced  to  retreat  to  Centeotl." 

"And  how  many  men  have  you  brought,  Philip?" 

"Six  hundred!" 

"And  one  thousand  started  from  Tlatonac,"  said  Jack, 
sadly;  "four  hundred  killed.  Thank  God,  Philip,  you  at 
least  are  safe." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE   FALL   OF  JAtf  JALLA. 

They  mount  the  ramparts,  and  they  man  the  walls, 

Resolved  to  keep  the  climbing  foe  at  bay; 
The  hot-mouthed  cannon  burl  a  thousand  balls, 

A  thousand  swords  flash  forth  to  wound  and  slay. 
Down  in  the  fosse  the  planted  ladder  falls, 

And  smoke  sulphurous  spreads  its  veil  of  gray; 
Like  incense  from  an  altar  up  it  rolls, 
To  tell  the  war-god  that  a  thousand  souls 

Are  to  his  honor  sacrificed  this  day. 

O  Mars!  O  red  Bellona!  he  or  she, 

Though  fallen  your  shrines,  we  bend  yet  'neath  your  yoke; 
Born  later  than  the  Greeks,  we  seem  to  be 

Not  much  more  civilized  than  were  those  folk. 
Instead  of  spears,  and  shields,  and  cutlery, 

Revolvers,  rifles,  guns  spit  fire  and  smoke. 
For  ye,  blood-thirsty  pair,  we  yet  retain 
Our  ancient  love,  and  hence  on  battle  plain 

With  myriad  victims  we  your  names  invoke. 

The  siege  of  Janjalla  lasted  five  days,  and  during  that 
period  the  town  was  completely  invested  by  the  troops  of 
Xuarez.  As  had  been  foreseen  by  him,  The  Columbus, 
acting  as  a  decoy,  had  drawn  away  the  ships  of  the  Junta 
from  protecting  the  harbor,  and  that  same  night  Xuarez, 
under  cover  of  darkness,  landed  four  thousand  troops 
from  his  transports.  By  an  inconceivable  oversight  on  the 
part  of  the  engineers,  the  city  walls  were  unprovided  with 
search-lights  and  electric  apparatus,  so  Don  Hypolito  was 
enabled  to  land  boat-load  after  boat-load  of  men  without 
hindrance.  By  dawn  six  thousand  men  were  encamped  on 
the  beach,  under  the  very  guns  of  the  forts. 

Had  Xuarez  attacked  the  capital,  he  would  have  been 
easily  repulsed,  for  in  Tlatonac  all  the  latest  inventions  for 
defense  were  to  be  found.  Krupp  guns  pointed  from  the 
forts,  powerful  electric  lights  swept  the  harbor,  and  the 
bed  of  the  ocean  in  front  of  the  sea-line  was  one  vast  mass 
ai  (32D 


322  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

of  torpedoes.  The  flower  of  the  Cholacacan  army  was 
behind  the  walls,  armed  with  the  latest  invented  rifles,  and 
altogether  a  siege  of  the  capital  would  have  lasted  months. 
Don  Hypolito,  however,  was  too  crafty  to  waste  his  time  so 
fruitlessly,  and  artfully  attacked  the  Republic  in  her  weak- 
est part. 

Janjalla  was  but  ill  defended  by  walls  and  cannon,  and 
but  ill  garrisoned  with  capable  men.  By  throwing  on  the 
devoted  town  an  overwhelming  mass  of  troops,  he  could 
hope  to  capture  it  within  a  few  days.  Then,  making  it 
his  headquarters,  could  gradually  advance  along  the  plain 
toward  the  capital,  eating  up  a  town  at  every  twenty  miles. 
He  was  already  master  of  Acauhtzin  in  the  north,  and  if 
he  could  only  reduce  Janjalla  and  the  four  inland  towns, 
he  would  be  in  complete  command  of  the  whole  inner 
country.  Then,  besieging  Tlatonac  by  land  and  sea,  he 
could  starve  the  capital  into  surrender. 

Promptness  was  Xuarez'  great  characteristic,  and  so 
rapidly  had  he  accomplished  the  transference  of  active 
operations  from  north  to  south  that  he  had  completely 
taken  the  Junta  by  surprise.  It  was  a  fatal  mistake  on 
the  part  of  the  Governmental  party  in  leaving  such  an 
incapable  man  as  Gomez  at  the  head  of  affairs.  If, 
relying  on  the  strength  of  the  capital  to  protect  her- 
self, he  had  sent  all  his  available  soldiers  to  garrison 
Janjalla  and  defeat  the  rebels  before  they  could  get  a  foot- 
ing in  the  south,  he  would  have  probably  crushed  the 
rebellion  in  the  bud.  Victorious  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
country,  he  could  have  then  reduced  Acauhtzin  at  his 
leisure,  and  thus  ended  the  war  within  a  few  weeks. 

Unfortunately,  Gomez  lost  his  head  at  the  critical  period, 
and  proved  himself  quite  unable  to  cope  with  the  masterly 
activity  of  the  rebel  leader.  First  of  all,  he  committed 
the  mistake  of  not  concentrating  his  troops  at  Janjalla, 
and  then  sent  a  few  hundreds  of  men  down  at  a  time. 
General  Gigedo,  therefore,  found  himself  shut  up  in  Jan- 
jalla with  scarcely  a  thousand  troops,  few  guns,  and  insuf- 
ficient ammunition.  The  telegraph-wires  having  been 
cut,  he  was  unable  to  communicate  promptly  with  the 
capital,  and  being  in  urgent  need  of  reinforcements,  was  in 
absolute  despair  as  to  what  would  occur  in  the  near  future. 
It  was  true  that  Gomez  had  promised  another  thousand 


THE   FALL   OF   JANJALLA.  323 

men  in  ten  days;  but  even  if  they  arrived  earlier,  it  would 
be  too  late,  as  with  the  small  garrison  at  his  disposal  it 
\vas  impossible  that  he  could  hold  out  against  a  force  of 
six  thousand  for  any  lengthened  period. 

He  would  have  sent  messengers  to  Tlatonac  for  aid,  but 
the  troops  of  Don  Hypolito  completely  encircled  the  city, 
and  it  was  worse  than  useless  to  try  and  break  through  that 
girdle  of  steel.  He  held  a  council  of  war;  but  no  decision 
could  be  arrived  at,  save  that  Janjalla  should  hold  out,  if 
possible,  until  reinforcements  arrived  from  the  capital. 
Day  after  day  Gigedo  and  his  staff  swept  the  ocean  with 
their  glasses,  looking  for  the  torpederas  and  the  cruiser. 
None  of  them  appeared,  and  it  could  only  be  conjectured 
that  they  had  captured  The  Columbus,  and  taken  her  at 
once  to  Tlatonac,  in  the  harbor  of  which  they  were  now 
doubtless  lying. 

Meanwhile,  the  garrison  fought  with  desperate  valor, 
and  with  great  difficulty  managed  to  keep  the  rebels  at  bay; 
but  it  could  be  easily  seen  that  such  a  state  of  things  could 
not  last.  On  the  fourth  day  preparations  were  made  by 
Xuarez  for  a  final  assault,  and  every  one  instinctively 
guessed  that  the  end  had  come.  The  Cortes  was  lying 
with  the  transports  out  of  range  of  the  fort-guns,  and,  by 
means  of  their  glasses,  those  shut  up  in  the  town  could  see 
that  the  war-ship  was  making  ready  to  bombard  the  city. 

Don  Hypolito  had  come  south  again,  with  his  new 
troops,  and  could  be  now  seen  riding  about  the  camp 
with  a  brilliant  staff,  seeing  that  all  things  were  ready  for 
the  assault.  Jack,  who  in  company  with  Philip  was 
leaning  over  the  ramparts,  noted  the  audacious  rebel,  and 
remarked  on  his  presence  before  the  walls  of  Janjalla. 

"  There  goes  the  brain  of  the  rebellion,"  he  said,  touch- 
ing Philip  on  the  shoulder.  "  If  he  could  only  be  dis- 
posed of,  the  war  would  be  over." 

"  No  doubt.  But  Xuarez  knows  his  own  value  too  well, 
and  will  therefore  keep  out  of  danger.  He  has  evidently 
made  up  his  mind  to  finish  the  siege  to-day." 

"Unless  help  comes,  I  think  he  will  succeed,"  replied 
Jack,  gloomily.  "  I  can  not  conceive  what  the  President 
or  Maraquando  can  be  thinking  about  to  thus  neglect 
Janjalla.  If  this  town  falls  into  the  hands  of  Xuarez,  as 
it  must  do  unless  a  miracle  takes  place,  Don  Francisco 
will  find  the  war  longer  than  he  expects/' 


324  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"  Gomez  is  a  fool,"  said  Philip,  stamping  his  foot. 
"What  the  deuce  is  the  use  of  keeping  all  the  army  in  the 
capital?  There  must  be  ten  thousand  soldiers  shut  up  in 
Tlatonac,  and  His  Excellency  evidently  intends  to  keep 
them  there  till  Xuarez  and  his  victorious  troops  arrive 
before  the  walls." 

"Very  likely  the  Indians  are  before  the  Avails  now,  and 
are  waiting  for  Xuarez  to  join  them." 

"It's  not  improbable.  Things  don't  look  promising  for 
the  Junta,  and  all  because  they  let  Gomez  muddle  the 
business.  See,  the  rebels  are  marching  up  to  the  sea-gate. 
It  is  now  noon.  Before  sundown  they  will  be  within  the 
Avails,  and  masters  of  the  city." 

"What  about  the  garrison?" 

"Their  lives  depend  on  the  caprice  of  Xuarez,"  said 
Philip,  after  a  pause.  "He  may  let  Gigedo  march  out 
Avith  the  remains  of  his  troops,  or  massacre  every  one  of  us." 

"  I  don't  intend  to  be  massacred,"  replied  Jack,  dryly; 
"and  what  is  more,  I  don't  intend  to  be  seen  by  Xuarez. 
He  must  knoAv  by  this  time,  through  his  spies,  that  I 
escaped  from  Totatzine,  but  he  is  probably  ignorant  that  I 
am  in  Janjalla.  I  must  escape  unseen,  Philip,  else  he  will 
send  me  back  to  be  slaughtered  by  Ixtlilxochitli. " 

"  Hardly,  Jack,  while  Tim  is  at  hand ! " 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"  Don  Hypolito,"  said  Philip,  sagely,  "  wishes  to  stand 
well  Avith  the  world.  Tim  is  the  medium  through  which 
his  actions  are  reported  to  the  world.  Were  he  to  send  an 
Englishman  to  be  offered  up  by  saATages  to  a  barbaric  deity, 
there  would  be  trouble  in  England.  Xuarez  can't  afford 
to  risk  that,  so  he  will  let  you  go  free." 

"He  didn't  do  that  in  Acauhtzin." 

"  In  Acauhtzin,  my  friend,  you  were  supposed  by  us  to 
be  killed  in  the  riot.  He  could  do  as  he  pleased  with  one 
who,  to  the  world,  was  practically  a  non-existing  person. 
Here  it  is  different.  You  are  alive,  you  are  with  your 
friends,  one  of  whom  is  a  correspondent  of  a  great  English 
journal.  He  dare  not  seize  you  for  his  own  ends  in  broad 
daylight.  No,  my  dear  Jack;  Avhile  we  are  beside  you, 
Xuarez  will  think  twice  before  repeating  his  treachery  of 
Acauhtzin.  He  will  have  to  look  for  a  new  victim  for 
Ixtlilxochitli." 


THE    FALL   OF   JANJALLA.  325 

"  I  fervently  hope  and  trust  so,"  answered  Jack,  looking 
at  his  revolver  to  see  that  it  was  loaded.  "  And  now  I 
suppose  we  had  better  go  to  the  Plaza.  The  troops  must 
be  assembling  just  now.  Hark!  there  goes  the  trumpet. 
Where  is  Tim?" 

"In  the  telegraph  office  with  Peter,,  wiring  news  to  his 
paper. " 

"  Poor  Peter/'  said  Duval,  as  they  left  the  ramparts; 
"  he  came  here  to  collect  beetles,  and  finds  himself  plunged 
into  an  unpleasant  war." 

"  Never  mind.  There's  nothing  like  experience,  Jack. 
Peter  will  recount  his  deeds  of  valor,  even  unto  the  third 
generation.  We  will  come  out  safe  in  the  end.  You  will 
marry  Dolores,  I  Enlalia,  and  all  will  be  gas  and  gaiters, 
videlicet  Nicholas  Nickleby." 

Philip's  gaiety  was  infectious,  and  Jack  burst  out  laugh- 
ing at  his  last  remark.  They  had  no  time,  however,  for 
further  conversation,  as  the  trumpets  Avere  calling  loudly 
in  the  Plaza,  and  they  hurried  to  that  portion  of  the  town 
to  find  the  troops  rapidly  falling  in.  General  Gigedo 
made  a  speech  to  encourage  his  soldiers,  assuring  them 
that  he  had  communicated  with  Tlatonac,  and  that  relief 
would  shortly  come  to  the  besieged  town. 

"  Is  that  true,  or  a  lie?"  asked  Jack  of  Don  Sebastian, 
who  stood  beside  him. 

" True,"  replied  the  Spaniard,  smiling.  "This  morning 
carrier-pigeons  were  sent  to  His  Excellency  with  messages 
of  our  deplorable  state.  We  will  certainly  be  relieved  in  a 
few  days." 

"  A  few  days! "  echoed  Philip  with  a  sneer.  "  My  dear 
Senor  de  Ahumada,  a  few  hours  will  see  our  troops  evacu- 
ating Janjalla." 

"  If  we  are  forced  to  do  that,  Senor,  we  can  fall  back  on 
Centeotl." 

"  What!  with  a  few  hundred  men,  and  the  Indians  scour- 
ing the  country?" 

"  They  are  farther  north." 

"  I  assure  you  they  are  not,"  replied  Cassim,  emphat- 
ically. "We  were  attacked  near  Centeotl,  and  by  this 
time  the  savages  are  between  that  town  and  this.  Senor 
de  Ahumada,  I  assure  you  that  if  we  evacuate  Janjalla  we 
will  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians." 
21 


326  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"Dios!"  cried  Don  Sebastian,  suddenly.  "  Tlie  Cortes 
has  started  bombarding."  Even  as  he  spoke,  a  bomb  burst 
in  the  air  directly  over  the  Plaza.  At  once  Gigedo  gave 
the  signal  to  the  troops  to  march  to  the  ramparts.  In  the 
distance  they  could  hear  the  fierce  cries  of  the  rebels  as 
they  marched  out  of  camp,  and  a  tremor  passed  through 
the  whole  of  the  city  as  those  within  its  walls  recognized 
the  desperate  state  of  affairs.  Bomb  after  bomb  exploded 
with  deafening  noises,  the  troops  manned  the  walls,  the 
besiegers  hurled  themselves  against  the  sea-gate,  planted 
ladders  against  the  walls.  The  assault  had  commenced. 
It  was  the  beginning  of  the  end. 

The  full  force  at  the  disposal  of  General  Gigedo,  exclud- 
ing the  sick  and  wounded,  amounted  to  some  nine  hundred 
men.  He  divided  this  into  two  portions;  five  hundred  held 
the  sea-facing  portion  of  the  town,  four  hundred  were  sta- 
tioned at  the  inland-gate.  Xuarez  attacked  the  two  gates 
of  the  town  simultaneously,  and  trusted,  in  the  event  of 
entering  at  either  portal,  to  be  enabled  to  attack  the  loyal- 
ists in  the  rear,  and  thus  crush  them  between  two  armies. 

On  the  ramparts  it  was  not  so  difficult  to  keep  the  foe 
back  as  it  was  below.  They  planted  ladders,  and  these 
were  hurled  with  their  burden  of  climbing  men  into  the 
ditch  below.  An  incessant  fusillade  of  musketry  crackled 
along  the  walls,  and  the  cannon  with  depressed  muzzles 
hurled  their  balls  with  more  or  less  damaging  effect  into 
the  dense  throng  massed  on  the  beach  below.  The  bombs 
from  The  Cortes  did  their  deadly  work  skillfully,  and  the 
besiegers  kept  themselves  as  widely  apart  as  possible,  so  as 
to  neutralize  the  effect  of  the  shells  on  compact  masses. 

It  was  outside  the  sea-gate,  however,  that  the  siege  was 
pressed  most  hardly.  Xuarez  had  cannon  planted  at  the 
gate  to  break  down,  if  possible,  the  huge  wooden  valves 
clamped  with  iron.  Through  the  loopholes  low  down  in 
the  walls  the  besiegers  fired  incessantly,  killing  the  rebel 
gunners  as  they  strove  to  discharge  the  cannon.  Above 
the  city  hung  a  thick  cloud  of  gray  smoke,  and  at  inter- 
vals, through  the  misty  veil,  flared  the  red  flame  of  a  bomb 
bursting  overhead.  The  rattle  of  musketry,  the  booming 
of  cannon,  the  cries  of  the  wounded,  the  shouts  of  besieged 
and  besiegers,  all  made  an  infernal  din  deafening  to  the 
ear. 


THE   FALL   OF   JANJALLA.  327 

Tim  and  Peter  were  at  the  laud-gate  in  company  with 
Captain  Velez  and  Colonel  Garibay,  while  Jack  and  Philip 
fought  side  by  side  in  repelling  the  attack  from  the  sea- 
front.  After  an  incessant  cannonading  lasting  two  hours 
the  rebels  managed  to  smash  the  gates  down  with  their 
artillery,  and  rushed  in  only  to  find  themselves  confronted 
by  a  dense  mass  of  resolute  soldiery. 

From  the  sea-gate  the  street  arose  suddenly,  and  on  the 
top  of  the  incline  Gigedo  had  planted  cannon  which  cut 
lanes  in  the  throng  of  rebels  passing  through  the  gate.  At 
last  the  battle  resolved  itself  into  a  hand-to-hand  fight  in 
which  the  loyalists  strove  to  beat  back  the  rebel  forces  from 
the  gate.  Xuarez  saw  this  and  signaled  to  The  Cortes  to 
stand  in  closer  and  drop  her  shells  into  the  center  of  the 
besieged.  At  once  the  war-ship  did  as  she  was  commanded, 
and  in  a  few  moments  bombs  were  creating  fearful  havoc 
in  the  ranks  of  the  loyalists.  In  answer  the  guns  of  the 
forts  speedily  opened  fire  on  the  war-ship,  but  did  little 
damage,  as  the  besiegers  were  too  busily  occupied  in  repel- 
ling the  foe  as  they  swarmed  up  the  walls,  to  take  careful 
aim. 

What  with  the  dense  crowd  pressing  from  without,  the 
loss  of  men  caused  by  the  incessant  bursting  of  the  bombs 
in  their  midst,  the  loyalists  began  to  fall  back,  and  in  spite 
of  the  most  desperate  resistance  were  thrust  beyond  the 
line  of  cannon  at  the  top  of  the  street.  A  horde  of  rebel 
soldiery  rushed  inside  the  gate  and  proceeded  to  scale  the 
ramparts,  in  order  to  aid  their  comrades  who  were  climbing 
the  outer  walls,  and  to  silence  the  guns  playing  on  The 
Cortes. 

Skillfully  making  use  of  all  material  he  found  to  hand, 
Xuarez  turned  the  cannon  taken  from  the  loyalists  on 
themselves.  In  the  hurried  retreat  they  had  been  unable 
to  spike  the  guns,  and  now  these,  loaded  and  fired  by  the 
rebels,  were  mowing  them  down  in  dozens.  The  soldiers 
on  the  ramparts  were  either  killed  or  beaten  back,  and  the 
whole  of  the  sea-front  of  Janjalla  was  in  complete  posses- 
sion of  Xuarez.  One  comfort  had  the  loyalists,  namely, 
that  they  were  protected  in  the  rear  by  their  men  defend- 
ing the  land-gate. 

Shortly,  however,  a  roar  of  rage  and  the  cheers  of  the 
besiegers  announced  that  the  town  was  captured  on  that 


328  THE   HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

side.  The  soldiers  retreated  toward  the  Plaza  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  town,  and  there  found  their  comrades  Avho  had 
fallen  back  from  the  sea-gate.  Here  there  was  this  hand- 
ful of  men  shut  up  in  the  square,  surrounded  on  all  sides 
by  the  victorious  rebels.  They  could  not  possibly  hold  out 
long  against  the  dense  masses  converging  to  that  center 
from  all  parts  of  the  town,  and  it  could  easily  be  seen  that 
the  siege  was  practically  over. 

During  the  fighting  night  had  fallen,  and  now  the  battle 
was  going  on  in  the  dim  twilight,  rendered  still  darker  by 
the  heavily  hanging  clouds  of  smoke  enwrapping  the 
town.  Jack  had  received  a  nasty  cut  on  the  shoulder,  but 
Philip  was  unwounded,  and  in  the  general  scrimmage  they 
managed  to  keep  well  together.  When  beaten  back  into 
the  Plaza  they  made  for  the  telegraph  office,  where  they 
hoped  to  find  Tim  and  Peter.  This  was  the  rendezvous 
appointed  by  Tim  in  case  the  battle  went  in  favor  of  the 
rebels,  as  he  Avished  to  send  a  final  message  to  his  paper 
before  clearing  out  of  the  town.  With  a  handful  of  men, 
principally  those  belonging  to  their  own  regiment,  Philip 
and  Jack  managed  to  throw  themselves  into  the  telegraph 
office,  and  shortly  afterward  were  joined  by  Tim. 

"Where's  Peter?  "  asked  Jack,  as  he  saAV  the  huge  form 
of  his  friend  dashing  through  the  door. 

"Just  behind,  with  Don  Sebastian,"  gasped  Tim, 
throwing  himself  into  a  chair.  "  It's  all  up,  boys;  the 
Oposidores  are  in  full  possession  of  the  land-gate." 

"And  the  sea-gate  also,"  said  Philip,  who  was  reloading 
his  revolver.  (S  All  our  men  are  in  the  Plaza,  and  can't 
hold  out  much  longer.  Whew!  there's  another  bomb." 

"We'd  better  get  out  of  Janjalla,  and  make  for  Cen- 
teotl,"  cried  Don  Sebastian,  entering  with  his  sword 
smashed  in  two;  "all  is  over!" 

"Gigedo?" 

" Killed!     G-aribay  is  wounded  and  taken  prisoner!" 

"Where  is  Don  Pedro?" 

"  Here  I  am,"  cried  Peter,  darting  into  the  room  and 
closing  the  door.  "  There's  a  regiment  of  rebels  cutting 
their  way  through  the  crowd  to  take  the  telegraph  office. 
Xuarez  has  particularly  commanded  it." 

"  Anyhow,  I'll  have  time  to  send  another  telegram,  if  I 
die  for  it,"  said  Tim,  who  was  hastily  scribbling  notes. 
"Where's  Manuel?" 


THE   FALL  OF   JANJALLA.  320 

Manuel  had  vanished;  so  Tim,  with  a  growl,  sat  down 
to  work  the  instrument  himself. 

"Keep  those  devils  out  with  your  men,"  he  said  to 
Philip,  who  was  barricading  the  windows  with  Jack.  "  Til 
send  one  telegram,  saying  Janjalla  has  fallen,  and  then 
we'll  go  off." 

"How  the  devil  are  we  to  get  away?"  asked  Philip, 
angrily. 

"Easily.  The  cavalry  barracks  are  behind  here.  We'll 
get  round  by  the  back  way  and  seize  the  horses,  then  cut 
our  way  out  by  the  land-gate.  Once  across  the  river,  and 
we  are  safe." 

Philip  did  not  wait  for  the  conclusion  of  this  speech, 
but,  with  a  few  men,  dashed  out  at  the  back  of  the  house 
to  see  if  the  horses  were  still  there.  Jack  would  have  fol- 
lowed, but  Peter  stopped  him. 

"  I  have  my  medicine-chest  here.  Let  me  bind  up  your 
shoulder."  Jack  was  unwilling,  protesting  he  did  not  feel 
the  wound. 

"  Bosh!  my  dear  boy;  you  are  excited.  You  will  feel  it 
afterward.  If  we  are  to  ride  to  Centeotl,  you  will  need  all 
the  blood  you  have.  Don  Sebastian  can  hold  the  telegraph 
office." 

Don  Sebastian  had  posted  his  men  at  the  windows,  and 
was  firing  at  the  mass  of  rebels  now  trying  to  take  the 
house  by  storm.  All  this  time  Tim  was  working  the 
instrument  and  wiring  the  news  of  the  fall  of  the  city  to 
his  editor.  Through  the  yells  outside,  the  rattle  of  the 
musketry,  and  the  curses  of  Don  Sebastian,  could  be  heard 
the  incessant  click,  click,  click  of  the  telegraph  instru- 
ment. 

A  bomb  exploded  on  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  a  few 
yards  of  plaster  fell  from  the  ceiling.  Peter  had  finished 
binding  up  Jack's  wound,  and  now  they  were  both  defend- 
ing the  windows  and  doors  of  the  mansion. 

"How  long,  Jack?" 

"In  two  minutes  the  door  will  be  down,"  cried  Jack. 

"Do  leave  that  d d  instrument,  Tim,  and  look  for 

Philip." 

"I'll  go!"  said  Peter,  as  Tim  refused  to  leave  his  post. 
He  turned  to  make  for  the  back  way,  when  Philip  came 
back  with  a  radiant  face. 


330  '"HE  HAKLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"Here  is  a  dozen  horses  just  outside,  all  saddled  and 
fresh  as  daisies!  Come,  Tim,  quick!  Jack!  De  Ahu- 
mada !" 

"A  moment,"  said  Tim,  and  went  on  with  his  click- 
ing. 

Crash!  The  door  was  down,  and  a  number  of  fierce 
faces  appeared  at  the  door.  The  room  was  full  of  smoke, 
and  the  rebels  were  firing  freely  through  the  windows. 
Sebastian  and  his  men  threw  themselves  in  front  of  those 
trying  to  face  the  door,  and  Philip,  seizing  Tim  by  the 
shoulder,  dragged  him  away  from  the  instrument. 

"  Tim,  you  cursed  fool,  come  along! " 

"Just  a  second!" 

He  turned  back  to  the  instrument  in  spite  of  Philip's 
protest,  but  had  just  clicked  twice  when  Don  Sebastian 
and  his  men  were  forced  back  and  a  crowd  of  the  enemy 
rushed  into  the  room.  Philip,  Jack,  and  Peter  had 
already  disappeared  through  the  back,  and  Tim  was  left 
alone  with  Don  Sebastian  and  the  soldiers.  The  rebels 
threw  themselves  forward  with  yells  of  delight,  when  Tim, 
catching  up  a  heavy  table,  flung  it  fair  on  the  advancing 
mass,  then  bolted  through  the  back  door,  dragging  Don 
Sebastian  after  him.  Two  of  the  soldiers  followed,  and 
promptly  closed  the  door  when  on  the  right  side.  At  once 
the  rebels  commenced  to  beat  it  down  with  the  butts  of 
their  rifles,  but  the  Irishman  and  his  friend  had  reached 
the  back  street. 

Here  they  found  their  friends  already  mounted  and  wait- 
ing for  them. 

"Tim!  De  Ahumada!  Mount  at  once \"  cried  Philip, 
pointing  to  three  horses  waiting  under  the  shelter  of  the 
wall.  "Make  for  the  land-gate,  and  straight  for  the 
river." 

In  another  moment  they  were  clattering  toward  the 
lower  part  of  the  town,  keeping  close  together  for  safety. 
The  street  down  which  they  were  riding  was  quite 
deserted,  as  the  fighting  was  principally  confined  to  the 
main  thoroughfares  of  the  town.  They  could  hear  the 
brisk  fire  of  musketry  still  kept  up,  the  booming  of  the 
cannon,  and  the  bursting  of  the  shells.  Shrieks  of  women 
and  yells  of  the  victors  broke  incessantly  through  these 
noises,  and  the  whole  city  was  draped  in  a'  thick  veil  of 
stinking  smoke. 


THE   FALL    OF   JANJALLA.  331 

"Oh,  those  poor  women \"  cried  Philip  as  he  spurred 
his  horse  toward  the  gate.  "  Now  they  are  in  the  clutches 
of  those  fiends." 

"I'm  glad  we're  not/'  muttered  Doctor  Grench,  thank- 
fully. 

"Anyhow,"  said  Tim,  cheerfully,  "I've  sent  the  fall  of 
the  city  to  the  paper." 

"  Oh,  hang  your  paper,"  said  Jack,  whose  wound  was 
making  him  fractious.  "Come  along,  De  Ahumada." 

"  Dios!     How  we  have  been  beaten." 

Suddenly  the  street  turned  a  sharp  angle,  and  they  found 
themselves  before  the  gate.  Most  of  the  attacking  party 
had  marched  toward  the  center  of  the  town  to  complete 
their  victory,  and  only  a  few  scattered  soldiery  were  on 
guard.  These  yelled  loudly  as  they  saw  the  small  party 
dash  toward  the  gate.  The  valves  were  broken  down; 
beyond  was  the  country,  and  between  this  and  safety  was 
but  a  score  of  men. 

Philip  drew  his  sword,  spurred  his  horse  to  its  full  speed, 
and  made  for  the  gate,  cutting  down  a  man  who  tried  to 
stay  him.  Jack  emptied  two  barrels  of  his  revolver,  and 
killed  one  man,  wounding  another.  The  rebel  soldiers 
fired  freely,  and  breaking  Sebastian's  arm,  also  tumbled 
one  of  his  company  off  his  horse.  Tim,  seizing  Peter's 
bridle-rein,  galloped  wildly  through  the  spare  crowd,  curs- 
ing freely. 

In  their  rush  for  the  portal  they  scattered  them  all. 
There  were  a  few  musket-shots,  a  howl  of  rage  from  the 
disappointed  rebels,  and  at  top  speed  they  tore  out  of  the 
gate  and  made  for  the  open  country. 

"Twenty  miles,"  cried  Philip,  settling  himself  in  his 
saddle.  "'We  can  do  that  easily.  Hurrah! " 

"  Provided  we  don't  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians," 
said  Jack,  sagely. 

As  for  Don  Sebastian,  he  turned  round  and  shook  his 
fist  at  Jan j  alia. 

"Carajo!" 


CHAPTEE  XXVIII. 

THE   FLIGHT   TO   TLATONAC. 

Boot  and  saddle!  away!  away! 

We  must  be  far  ere  the  breaking  of  day. 

The  standard  is  flown, 

The  foe's  in  the  town, 
Forbidding  us  longer  to  stay,  to  stay. 

Boot  and  saddle!  we  ride!  we  ride! 
Over  the  prairie- land  side  by  side; 

Our  foemen  behind 

Speed  swift  as  the  wind, 
And  gain  on  us  steadily,  stride  by  stride. 

Boot  and  saddle!  so  fast!  so  fast! 

"We  ride  till  the  river  be  crossed  and  passed; 

Then  over  the  plain 

With  loose  hanging  rein, 
And  find  ourselves  safe  in  the  town  at  last. 

Before  them  spread  the  plains,  flat  and  desolate-looking, 
covered  with  coarse  grass,  and  stretching  toward  the  hori- 
zon in  vague  immensity.  Westward  the  faint  flush  of 
sunset,  delicately  pale,  lingered  low  down,  but  otherwise 
the  sky  was  coldly  clear,  darkly  blue,  thick-sprinkled  Avith 
chill-looking  stars.  To  the  right  the  leaden-hued  waters 
of  the  river  moving  sluggishly  between  low  mud-banks, 
and  on  the  left  sandy  wastes  alternating  with  hillocks  and 
convex-shaped  mounds.  All  this  desolation  appearing 
ghostly  under  a  veil  of  mist  exhaled  whitely  from  the  hot 
earth. 

Over  these  monotonous  plains  galloped  the  six  fugitives, 
Philip  and  Jack  in  the  van,  Don  Sebastian  and'  his  one 
soldier  in  the  rear;  between,  Tim,  side  by  side  with  Peter. 
For  some  time  they  urged  on  their  horses  in  silence.  Then 
a  sudden  flare  of  crimson  caused  them  to  turn  in  their 
saddles.  The  low  walls  of  Janjalla  were  crowned  with 
smoke,  beneath  which  leaped  tongues  of  flame,  crimson 
and  yellow.  A  rapid,  disjointed  conversation  ensued. 

(338) 


THE    FLIGHT   TO   TLATOKAC.  333 

"  Those  brutes  are  burning  the  city! " 

"It  will  only  be  some  drunken  soldiers.  Xuarez  will 
soon  put  a  stop  to  that.  He  can  not  afford  to  lose  his  city 
of  refuge,  after  paying  so  much  to  gain  it." 

" Must  we  swim  our  horses  across  the  river?"  called  out 
Grench,  unexpectedly. 

"  Not  unless  the  bridge  is  down.  It  was  standing  when 
we  came  this  way  a  week  ago." 

Philip  answered  the  question,  and  then  cast  an  anxious 
look  at  the  sky. 

"  I  wish  the  moon  would  rise,"  he  said,  disconsolately; 
"we  need  some  light." 

"  What  the  deuce  would  be  the  good  of  that  when  we're 
on  the  high-road?  Hang  it,  the  moon  would  only  show 
Xuarez  how  to  follow  us." 

"  Que  dici?"  asked  Don  Sebastian,  looking  at  Jack. 

"  The  Seiior  Corresponsal  thinks  we  might  be  pursued." 

"  I  doubt  it,  Don  Juan.  Xuarez  will  be  too  busy  check- 
ing the  excesses  of  his  soldiers.  Besides,  Sefior,  as  we 
escaped  in  the  confusion,  it  may  be  that  we  will  not  be 
missed  for  some  hours." 

Peter,  unaccustomed  to  riding,  began  to  feel  sore  with 
this  incessant  galloping,  and  raised  his  voice  in  protest. 

"I  hope  we  will  be  able  to  rest  at  Centeotl.  When  do 
Ave  reach  it?" 

"  Before  midnight,  probably.  Then  we  will  rest  till 
dawn,  get  fresh  horses,  and  push  on  to  Tlatonac." 

"  Hope  we'll  get  there,"  muttered  Jack,  shaking  his 
reins.  "  But  if  the  Indians — }: 

"  Deuce  take  the  Indians,"  retorted  Philip,  irritably. 
"  Come  on,  Jack,  and  don't  worry  so  much." 

Their  horses  were  fortunately  quite  fresh,  having  been 
mewed  up  in  Jaujalla  without  exercise  for  some  weeks. 
Stretching  their  necks,  they  clattered  along  at  a  break- 
neck speed.  The  road  was  as  hard  as  flint,  and  their  iron- 
shod  hoofs  struck  out  sparks  from  the  loose  stones.  The 
riders,  with  their  heads  bent  against  the  wind  whizzing 
past  their  ears,  let  the  reins  hang  loosely,  and  pressed  on 
with  blind  trust  along  the  highway  leading  to  Centeotl. 

Here  and  there  they  passed  a  flat-roofed  house,  deserted 
by  its  occupants,  and  standing  up  lonely,  a  white  splotch 
amid  the  vague  gloom  of  its  flat  acreage.  Clumps  of  trees 


334  THE   HARLEQUIN-   OPAL. 

loomed  suddenly  against  the  clear  sky,  at  times  a  ragged 
aloe  sprang  spectral-like  from  the  reddish  soil,  thorny 
thickets  lay  densely  in  the  hollows,  tall  spear-grass  waved 
on  the  tops  of  undulating  drifts  of  sand,  and  at  intervals 
an  oasis  of  rank  herbage  would  frame  an  oval  pool  thickly 
fringed  with  reeds. 

The  road  wound  onward,  turning  now  to  right,  now  to 
left,  dipping  into  hollows,  curving  over  eminences,  stretch- 
ing white  and  dusty  toward  the  horizon  like  a  crooked, 
winding  river.  On  either  side  they  could  mark  the 
moving  forms  of  animals  flying  from  the  clatter  of  their 
horses'  hoofs,  cattle,  vicunas,  llamas,  and  flocks  of  sheep. 
The  white  peak  of  Xicoteucatl  arose  suddenly  like  a  ghost 
from  the  shadows  of  forests  lying  heavily  along  the  verge 
of  earth  between  plain  and  sky.  A  thin  vapor  lay  white 
over  the  plain,  and  gathered  thickly  along  the  banks  of 
the  river.  The  horses  stretched  their  necks  and  neighed 
loudly.  They  smelt  the  water  of  the  stream. 

"  The  bridge  is  down!  "  cried  Jack,  drawing  rein  at  the 
verge  of  the  stream.  "Indians!" 

"  Xuarez!  "  added  Philip,  gravely.  "  I  suspect  the  lat- 
ter. Indians  are  not  sufficiently  civilized  to  destroy 
bridges." 

The  debris  of  the  bridge  impeded  the  current,  and  here 
the  waters  boiled  white  amid  the  black  ruins.  Jagged 
posts  stretched  in  black  rows  to  the  other  side  of  the 
stream,  but  there  was  no  foothold  left  by  which  they  could 
cross  dry-shod. 

"Swim!"  said  Tim,  briefly,  and  sent  his  steed  down  the 
bank.  The  others  followed,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  sur- 
face of  the  stream  was  dotted  with  black  figures.  The 
river  being  sluggish,  with  little  or  no  current,  they  found 
no  difficulty  in  crossing,  and  speedily  gained  the  opposite 
bank.  Climbing  the  slope  on  to  the  flat  land,  they 
regained  the  line  of  road,  and  once  more  urged  their 
horses  to  full  speed. 

The  moon  arose,  round  and  bright,  making  the  whole 
scene  cheerful  with  her  kindly  light.  The  fugitives 
looked  back,  but  could  see  no  sign  of  pursuit.  Even 
the  town  had  vanished.  Behind,  before,  lay  nothing  but 
the  immensity  of  the  plains.  It  was  as  though  they  were 
in  the  midst  of  a  leaden-hued  sea.  The  appearance  of  the 


THE   FLIGHT   TO   TLATONAC.  335 

moon  raised  their  spirits,  and  they  redoubled  their  speed. 
Centeotl  Avas  now  comparatively  near.  The  ground  began 
to  show  signs  of  cultivation.  Hedges  of  cacti  ran  along  the 
sides  of  the  road,  bearing  fleshly  looking  flowers  of  tawny 
gold.  Eight  and  left  stretched  gardens,  environing  country 
nouses,  and  before  them  arose  a  white  line  of  wall. 

"Centeotl!"  cried  Don  Sebastian,  pushing  forward. 

The  gates  were  closed  owing  to  the  fear  of  the  towns- 
people lest  the  Indians  should  make  a  night  attack.  De 
Ahumada  galloped  on  ahead,  and  reined  his  horse  immedi- 
ately under  the  Avails.  At  intervals  the  sentinels  called  the 
one  to  the  other,  "Centinella  alerte,"  to  show  that  they 
were  awake.  The  noise  of  the  approaching  horses  brought 
them  to  the  walls. 

"Quien  vive?" 

"Amigos!    From  Jan jalla." 

The  red  light  of  torches  glared  from  the  low  battlements, 
and  in  a  few  moments  the  gates  were  opened .  The  officer 
in  charge  recognized  Don  Sebastian,  and  was  much 
depressed  at  learning  Janjalla  had  fallen. 

"Dios!  It  is  Centeotl  next  that  Xuarez  will  capture/' 
he  said,  disconsolately,  and  then  led  the  fugitives  to  the 
house  of  the  Jefe  Politico. 

That  individual  received  them  kindly  and  gave  them  food 
and  beds.  He  also  promised  them  horses  for  the  next 
morning,  to  push  on  to  Tlatonac,  but  feared  lest  they 
should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  whom  he 
believed  were  farther  north.  The  telegraph-wires  between 
Centeotl  and  Hermanita  had  been  destroyed  by  the  sav- 
ages. His  town  was  now  quite  isolated  in  the  plains. 
Only  five  hundred  men  were  within  its  walls,  and  he 
expected  it  would  be  shortly  besieged  and  captured  by  Don 
Hypolito,  unless  aid  arrived  from  the  capital. 

During  the  night  straggling  parties  of  soldiers  arrived 
from  Janjalla  for  refuge.  All  brought  the  same  tale.  Jan- 
jalla was  nearly  in  ruins,  as  the  rebels  had  fired  many  houses, 
and  the  bombs  and  cannon  had  smashed  others.  Xuarez  had 
kept  all  his  men  in  the  town,  and  was  doing  his  best  to 
reduce  them  to  order,  but  many  were  beyond  his  control. 
There  was  no  pursuit  in  any  case.  It  was  reported  that  he 
would  throw  forward  two  regiments  of  cavalry  next  day  to 
attack  Centeotl. 


336  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"Santissima!"  said  the  Jefe,  in  despair;  "  we  are  lost, 
Senores.  When  you  arrive  at  Tlatonac  tell  His  Excellency 
that  I  am  faithful  to  the  Junta,  but  that  my  town  is  too 
weak  to  hold  out  against  the  rebels." 

De  Ahurnada  promised,  and,  shortly  afterward,  thor- 
oughly worn  out,  they  all  composed  themselves  to  sleep. 
It  was  impossible,  however,  to  get  much  repose,  as  the 
constant  arrival  of  fugitives,  the  clattering  of  horses  through 
the  streets,  and  the  murmur  of  many  voices,  kept  them 
awake.  At  dawn  they  were  up  at  once,  mounted  fresh 
horses,  and  rode  away  from  the  town  in  the  direction  of 
Hermanita,  twenty  miles  away. 

They  reached  that  town  in  two  hours,  and  found  the 
inhabitants  in  a  state  of  terror.  The  Indians  had  been 
threatening  for  the  last  week,  and  had  been  scouring  the 
country  to  the  south.  Now  they  had  gone  north,  and,  it 
was  believed,  with  the  intention  of  making  an  attack  on 
the  Puebla  de  los  Naranjos.  Nor  did  the  news  brought 
by  Jack  and  his  friends  reassure  them  in  any  way.  What 
with  the  Indians  in  the  north,  and  Xuarez  threatening 
them  in  the  south,  there  was  no  doubt  that  Hermanita  was 
in  a  terrible  fix.  As  had  Centeotl,  they  also  implored  Don 
Sebastian  to  ask  Gomez  to  send  aid,  lest  they  should  fall 
victims  to  the  rebels  or  to  the  Indians. 

After  taking  a  hurried  meal,  the  fugitives  once  more 
proceeded  on  their  way  to  the  north.  Toward  noon  they 
struck  Puebla  de  los  Naranjos,  and  found  it  a  heap  of 
ruins.  Undefended  as  were  the  other  towns  by  stone  walls, 
the  town  was  surrounded  by  orange  groves,  and  had  there- 
fore been  easily  captured  by  the  Indians.  A  few  terrified 
survivors  crept  about  the  ruins  of  their  houses,  the  streets 
were  thick  with  dead  bodies,  and  the  whole  place  presented 
a  scene  of  unexampled  desolation.  Those  who  survived 
said  that  the  Indians  had  plundered  the  town  two  days 
previously,  and  had  then  departed  with  the  intention  of 
taking  Ohichimec.  As  this  city  was  only  distant  twenty 
miles  from  the  capital,  the  little  party  was  quite  appalled 
at  the  audacity  of  the  savages.  It  showed  how  little  they 
cared  for  the  power  of  the  Eepublic. 

"  If  Gomez  had  crushed  this  rebellion  at  once,  all  would 
have  been  well,"  said  Jack,  as  they  rode  from  the  smoking 
ruins  of  Puebla  de  los  Naranjos;  "but  now  it  seems  as 


THE   FLIGHT  TO   TLATOXAC.  337 

though  the  Indians  and  Xuarez  were  going  to  have  it  all 
their  own  way." 

"  Gomez  should  have  placed  the  command  of  affairs  in 
the  hands  of  a  competent  man,  and  not  meddled  Avith 
them,"  replied  Philip,  impatiently.  "  He  keeps  all  his 
army  in  the  capital,  and  lets  the  country  be  laid  waste. 
The  end  will  be  that  all  the  inland  towns  will  join  with 
Xuarez,  and  the  capital  will  be  besieged.  With  the  whole 
of  Cholacaca  against  it,  the  capital  must  fall." 

"  Unless  the  Junta  can  capture  or  sink  the  two  remain- 
ing war-ships  of  Xuarez,"  said  Don  Sebastian,  who  was 
fearfully  enraged  at  the  destruction  of  the  country. 

"  True!  Then  Xuarez  won't  be  able  to  get  more  troops 
from  Acauhtzin." 

"  He  has  got  quite  enough  troops  as  it  is  to  make  things 
unpleasant  for  the  capital,"  said  Tim,  in  Spanish,  for  the 
benefit  of  Don  Sebastian.  "  Six  thousand  at  Janjalla — five 
thousand  Indians.  Quite  enough  to  invest  the  town.  The 
Junta  has  but  eight  thousand  troops  in  Tlatonac." 

"  Well,  that's  a  good  number! " 

"  Yes;  but  what  with  his  own  troops  and  the  savages, 
Xuarez  has  three  thousand  to  the  good.  Besides  which,  he 
is  a  capable  general." 

"  If  the  Indians  could  only  be  detached  from  his  cause, 
the  rebellion  might  be  crushed,"  said  Jack,  ponderingly. 
"  It  is  the  only  way  of  saving  the  present  Government.  ' 

"  There  is  no  chance  of  doing  that,"  replied  Tim,  dis- 
consolately. "  The  Indians  are  mad  about  the  loss  of  the 
opal,  and  will  fight  like  fiends  to  get  it  back." 

"  Perhaps  they  can  be  quieted  by  means  of  the  opal! ' 

"Dios!  exclaimed  Sebastian,  turning  in  his  saddle. 
"What  mean  you,  Senor?" 

"  I  have  an  idea,"  replied  Jack,  quietly.  "  It  was  sug- 
gested to  me  by  a  remark  of  Cocom's." 

"And  this  idea?" 

"  I  will  not  tell  you  at  present,  lest  I  should  fail  to  carry 
it  out,  and  thus  disappoint  your  hopes.  Wait  till  we  reach 
Tlatonac." 

"If  we  ever  do  get  there,"  muttered  Philip,  savagely. 
"  Now  we  are  half-way  to  Chichimec,  gentlemen.  There, 
according  to  report,  the  Indians  are  camped.  I  vote  we 


338  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

make  a  detour,  and  reach  Tlatonac  in  some  other  way.  Do 
you  know  of  a  road,  Don  Sebastian?" 

"  No,  Senor.     I  know  not  this  country." 

"  I  do! "  cried  Duval,  suddenly.  "  I  have  been  all  over 
this  portion.  That  is  a  good  idea  of  yours,  Philip!  AVe 
Avill  avoid  the  Indians.  I  know  a  road!  " 

"Bueno!     Take  the  lead." 

It  was  fortunate,  indeed,  that  Philip  suggested  such  an 
idea,  and  that  Jack's  knowledge  of  the  country  enabled 
them  to  carry  it  out,  else  they  would  assuredly  have  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  Making  a  detour  toward 
the  coast,  they  managed  to  avoid  Chichimec  by  some  miles. 
They  learned  from  a  peon,  whom  they  met  making  his  way 
to  Tlatonac,  that  the  town  was  entirely  invested  by  the 
savages,  but  that  as  yet,  thanks  to  the  strong  walls,  they 
had  been  unable  to  effect  an  entrance.  The  Jefe  Politico 
had  sent  this  peon  to  the  capital  with  a  request  for  imme- 
diate aid  from  Don  Francisco. 

"What,  in  God's  name,  can  the  President  be  thinking 
about?"  cried  Jack,  on  hearing  this  intelligence.  "  He  is 
simply  playing  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies." 

"  Things  certainly  look  bad  for  the  Junta,  owing  to  his 
negligence.  Janjalla  captured  by  Xuarez,  Puebla  de  los 
Naranjos  ravaged,  Chichimec  invested.  Perhaps,  when 
the  whole  country  is  in  the  hands  of  Don  Hypolito,  this 
very  wise  ruler  will  bestir  himself." 

"Wait  till  I  have  a  conversation  with  Don  Miguel!" 
muttered  Jack,  striking  the  spurs  into  his  horse.  "  We 
are  outsiders,  and  can  not  interfere  with  local  politics;  but 
it  makes  me  sick  to  see  how  Gomez  is  fooling  away  his 
chances.  If  I  can  only  rouse  Don  Miguel  into  making 
things  hot  for  the  President,  I  will  do  so!" 

"A  house  divided  against  itself — "  began  Peter;  but 
Tim  cut  him  short. 

"Hold  your  tongue,  Peter.  Jack  is  quite  right.  Unless 
a  good  man  is  put  at  the  head  of  affairs,  Don  Hypolito 
will  enter  Tlatonac  within  the  month.  It's  a  mighty  black 
lookout  for  the  Government.  Don  Francisco  ought  to  be 
shunted  at  once." 

The  peon  ran  alongside  them,  and  kept  up  with  their 
horses  in  the  most  wonderful  manner.  It  was  noon  when 
they  left  Puebla  de  los  Naranjos,  and  it  was  now  late  at 


THE  FLIGHT  TO  TLATONAO.  339 

night.  In  ten  hours  they  had  come  nearly  fifty  miles. 
Their  horses  were  quite  worn  out,  owing  to  the  incessant 
galloping.  Now  they  were  within  a  mile  of  the  capital, 
and  already,  in  the  dim  light,  could  see  the  line  of  walls 
looming  in  the  distance.  They  were  glad  it  was  dark,  or, 
rather,  comparatively  so,  as  it  afforded  them  a  certain 
amount  of  protection  from  wandering  Indian  scouts. 

"The  luck  holds!"  said  Philip,  thankfully,  as  they  rode 
toward  the  Puerta  de  la  Culebra.  "  We  have  not  seen  a 
single  savage  since  we  left  Jaujalla." 

"Had  it  not  been  for  your  forethought,  Philip,  they 
would  have  had  our  scalps  by  this  time." 

"My  thought,  but  your  actions,  Jack.  It  was  lucky 
you  knew  the  country. 

"A  mutual  admiration  society,  you  are!"  cried  Tim, 
whose  spirits  were  wonderfully  light.  "  How  do  you  feel, 
Peter?'* 

"Worn  out,"  replied  the  doctor,  laconically. 

"Faith,  I'm  not  astonished.  Fm  bumped  to  death 
also.  A  hundred  miles  isn't  bad  for  an  inferior  rider  like 
myself." 

"  Oh,  you  are  a  war  correspondent,"  began  Peter,  fret- 
fully, when  his  remarks  were  cut  short  by  an  exclamation 
from  Sebastian. 

"Dios!  the  gates  are  open!     Soldiers  are  coming  out!" 

"  Reinforcements  for  Janjalla,  I've  110  doubt,"  said 
Philip,  grimly.  "  They  are  a  trifle  late.  Come,  gentle- 
men, let  us  see  the  officer  in  charge." 

They  urged  their  jaded  horses  toward  the  gate.  At  the 
sight  of  the  little  party  the  soldiers  halted,  and  an  officer 
rode  to  the  front. 

"From  whence  come  you,  Senores?"  he  asked  in  sur- 
prise. 

"From  Janjalla." 

"  Janjalla?    Why,  we  are  just  marching  thither,  Senor." 

"You  can  spare  yourself  the  trouble,"  replied  Jack, 
grimly.  "Janjalla  has  fallen." 

The  news  passed  rapidly  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  a 
cry  of  rage  went  up  from  the  throng. 

"Moreover,"  added  Jack,  quietly,  "Puebla  de  los 
Naranjos  has  been  attacked  and  sacked  by  the  Indians!'3 

Another  cry  of  rage. 


340  THE  HAELEQUIN  OPAL. 

"  And,"  concluded  this  bearer  of  bad  news,"  Ohichimao 
is  now  invested  by  six  thousand  savages." 

A  low  murmur  of  dismay  ran  through  the  lines. 
Calamity  after  calamity  seemed  to  be  falling  on  the  heads 
of  the  Government.  Suddenly  a  man  rode  through  the 
gate  at  full  speed,  and  pulling  up  his  horse  on  its  haunches, 
as  he  faced  the  party,  made  the  same  inquiry  as  had  the 
officer. 

"  Janjalla!"  cried  Don  Miguel  Maraquando. 

Jack  uttered  the  same  reply:     "  Janjalla  has  fallen!" 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


EXIT   DOK   FRANCISCO    GOMEZ. 

Depart,  incapable! 

You  are  no  pilot  to  be  at  the  helm  when  the  ship  is  in  danger; 

The  vessel  of  state  labors  in  the  turmoil  of  troublous  waters, 

Rocks  this  side,  that  side,  she  is  drifting  to  leeward,  shoals  threaten 
her  stout  timbers. 

Round  her  rage  the  tempests  which  would  sink  her  in  waves  of 
blood; 

Only  a  skillful  captain  can  pilot  her  into  a  safe  haven. 

You  are  not  a  skillful  commander! 

In  fair  weather  you  guided  the  ship  in  a  meritorious  fashion; 

Now,  when  blow  rebellious  storms,  you  are  not  fit  for  the  steering; 
the  danger  renders  you  helpless — a  child  were  a  better  helms- 
man; 

No  longer  can  you  hold  the  ship  of  republican  fortunes  in  her  right 
course. 

Captain!  President!  you  are  Captain — President  no  longer! 

Depart!  give  way  to  one  who  can  steer  with  clear  head  and  keen 
eye. 

Depart,  incapable! 

"Dear  one!"  cried  Dolores,  as  Jack  embraced  her,  in 
the  patio.  "  At  last  do  I  see  you  once  more.  Santissima! 
how  pale!  What  ragged  clothes!  And  beards  on  all  your 
faces." 

"  Indeed,  Dolores,  a  siege  is  not  conducive  to  luxury. 
But  we  will  go  to  my  house,  bathe,  shave,  and  dress. 
When  we  return,  you  will  behold  us  as  civilized  beings." 

"  You  are  wounded! " 

"It  is  nothing — a  mere  scratch.  How  delighted  I  am 
to  see  your  dear  face  once  more,  my  Dolores." 

Eulalia  put  out  her  hand  timidly  under  the  shelter  of 
her  fan,  and  touched  Philip  gently  on  the  hand.  She  was 
unable  to  do  more,  as  Dona  Serafina,  severe  and  vigilant, 
was  present.  Their  engagement  had  not  yet  been  made 
public. 

"Querido,"  she  murmured,  looking  at  her  lover  ten- 
derly, "constantly  have  I  prayed  for  thee." 
22  (341 


342  THE  HARLEQUlK   OPAt. 

Philip  kissed  her  hand,  and  then  that  of  Dofia  Serafina, 
to  avert  suspicion.  The  old  lady  was  voluble,  and  after 
the  first  greetings  were  over,  burst  forth  into  speech  with 
much  dramatic  gesture. 

"Alas!  Senores,  how  sad  look  you  all.  Don  Pedro! 
Pobrecito!  And  the  city  is  in  the  hands  of  the  rebels. 
Ay  di  mi!  Ah,  the  evil  ones!  Yet,  if  they  win  on  land, 
they  lose  at  sea." 

"What  is  it  you  say,  Senora?"  asked  Tim,  ever  on  the 
alert  for  news. 

"  Have  you  not  heard,  Senor  Corresponsal?"  No;  you 
have  been  away.  G  ratios  a  Dips!  The  torpederas  have 
captured  The  Columbus." 

"Bravo!"  cried  Jack,  delightedly;  "this  is  indeed  good 
news!  And  Rafael?" 

"  Rafael  is  here,"  said  that  young  man,  hastily  entering 
the  court.  "  Ah,  my  dear  friends,  how  delighted  I  am  to 
behold  you." 

"  Even  though  we  bring  bad  news?  " 

"  Yes;  for  I  can  tell  you  good.  We  followed  The  Colum- 
bus, and  by  threatening  to  sink  her  with  torpedoes  forced 
her  to  strike  her  flag.  Now  she  is  lying  in  the  harbor  with 
a  crew  of  our  own  men.  Her  rebel  sailors  are  all  in 
prison." 

"  What  about  The  Ilurbide?" 

"  She  is  there  also,  but  in  a  crippled  condition.  One  of 
her  masts  was  shot  away  by  The  Columbus  before  she  sur- 
rendered." 

"And  what  do  you  do  now? " 

"Sail  south  to-morrow  at  dawn." 

"  Alas! "  said  Jack,  sadly,  "you  will  be  too  late  to  relieve 
Janjalla." 

"Never  mind,"  replied  Rafael,  hopefully;  "we  will 
sink  The  Cortes  or  capture  and  bring  her  back  to  Tlatonac 
with  the  transports.  Then  Don  Hypolito  will  be  irrevo- 
cably cut  off  from  Acauhtzin." 

"  That  does  not  matter  to  him,"  interposed  Philip,  over- 
hearing this  remark;  "  he  has  most  of  his  troops  at  Jan- 
jalla, and  will  simply  hold  the  south  instead  of  the  north." 

"  At  all  events,  Senor  Felipe,  we  have  crushed  him  by 
sea." 

"  It  will  be  a  more  difficult  task  to  crush  him  by  land, 
especially  as  Don  Francisco  is  so  dilatory." 


EXIT    DOS'   FRANCISCO    GOMEZ.  343 

"  Don  Francisco!  Don  Francisco!"  cried  Eafael,  stamp- 
ing his  foot  with  rage.  "  He  is  not  fit  to  be  President. 
Through  him  have  we  lost  Janjalla.  Even  my  father,  who 
was  his  firm  supporter,  has  turned  against  him." 

"  What  do  you  say,  Eafael?" 

"  I  can  not  tell  you  yet;  but  there  will  be  a  stormy  meet- 
ing of  the  Junta  to-morrow." 

"  You  are  going  to  depose  Don  Francisco?" 

"  It's  not  improbable." 

"  More  trouble,"  said  Tim,  reflectively.  "  There  will  be 
three  Presidents  shortly.  Don  Francisco,  Don  Hypolito, 
and — Don  Miguel!" 

"  No  more,  mi  amigo,"  said  Eafael,  doubtful  even  in  his 
own  house.  "  It  is  dangerous  to  speak  like  that — as  yet." 

He  added  the  last  words  significantly,  and  turned  away. 
Jack  was  saying  good-night  to  Dolores,  as  he  was  quite 
worn  out  and  wanted  to  get  back  to  his  own  house  for  a 
good  night's  rest. 

"Dolores,"  he  whispered,  as  he  held  her  hand,  "you 
have  yet  the  opal  ?  " 

"Yes;  surely." 

"Can  you  bear  to  part  with  it  for  the  sake  of  the 
city?" 

"You  can  do  with  it  as  you  please,  Juanito.  But  what 
mean  these  words?  " 

"I  have  a  plan  whereby  I  can  detach  the  Indians  from 
the  cause  of  Don  Hypolito,  and  thus  weaken  his  army. 
But  the  carrying  out  of  the  plan  may  entail  the  loss  of  the 
opal." 

"Let  it  go,  so  that  it  save  Tlatonac,"  replied  Dolores 
heroically,  though,  woman-like,  she  loved  the  jewel. 
"  What  is  your  plan?" 

"  I  must  see  Cocom  about  it  first,  then  I  will  tell  you 
my  secret;  but  now  we  must  go.  Adios,  querida." 

When  the  four  friends  left  the  Casa  Maraquando  they 
were  surprised  to  find  themselves  followed  by  Maraquando 
and  his  son.  On  reaching  Jack's  house,  Don  Miguel 
begged  the  Englishman  to  give  him  a  few  moments'  con- 
versation, and  explained  how  matters  stood  at  Tlatonac. 

It  appeared  that  Maraquando's  party  was  disgusted  at 
the  way  in  which  the  war  was  being  conducted  by  Don 
Francisco,  and  wanted  him  to  resign  the  Presidential 


344  THE  HAKLEQUIH   OPAL. 

chair.  This  Gomez  was  unwilling  to  do,  and  as  he  had 
yet  many  supporters,  it  was  doubtful  if  they  could  force 
him  into  such  a  course.  Now,  however,  that  the  news  of 
the  fall  of  Janjalla,  the  sack  of  Puebla  de  los  Naranjos, 
and  the  investment  of  Chichimec  had  arrived,  Don  Miguel 
thought  that  he  would  be  able  to  show  plainly  that  the 
continuance  of  Don  Francisco  as  President  meant  ruin  to 
the  Government. 

The  next  day  there  was  to  be  a  meeting  of  the  Junta, 
and  Maraquando,  explaining  his  designs  to  Jack,  asked 
him  for  a  full  report  of  all  that  had  taken  place  in  the 
south,  so  as  to  plainly  prove  the  incapacity  of  the  Presi- 
dent in  conducting  the  war.  The  four  friends  thoroughly 
agreed  with  Maraquando's  view  of  the  matter,  and  told  him 
all  that  he  wished  to  know,  after  which  they  retired  to 
rest.  Don  Miguel,  on  the  contrary,  went  back  with  Rafael 
to  his  own  house,  and  there  found  a  few  members  of  his 
party  waiting  him,  whom  he  informed  of  the  consequence 
of  the  terrible  series  of  blunder?  made  by  Gomez. 

The  next  day  there  was  a  stormy  debate  of  the  Junta  in 
the  Palacio  Nacional. 

"I  blame  His  Excellency  for  all  that  has  taken  place," 
cried  Maraquando,  at  the  conclusion  of  a  long  and  fiery 
speech.  "By  his  negligence  and  timidity  he  has  lost  us 
our  opportunity  of  crushing  this  rebellion  in  the  bud. 
Had  a  few  thousand  soldiers  been  sent  to  Janjalla  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  war,  that  city  would  not  now  be  in  the 
hands  of  the  rebels.  Nay,  they  would  not  have  even 
gained  a  footing  in  the  south.  But  by  withdrawing  the 
garrisons  from  that  seaport,  from  the  inland  towns,  His 
Excellency  has  laid  them  open  to  capture,  and  they  have 
been  captured.  Janjalla  is  in  the  power  of  Xuarez;  by 
this  time,  for  aught  we  know,  Centeotl  may  have  sur- 
rendered to  his  victorious  army.  Puebla  de  los  Naranjos 
has  been  sacked  by  the  Indian  tribes  who  should  have 
been  crushed  at  once.  Now  Chichimec  is  surrounded,  and 
may  fall  at  any  time,  yet  no  aid  has  been  sent  to  the  relief 
of  the  citizens.  All  these  terrible  disasters  have  been 
caused  by  the  blundering  of  Don  Francisco,  by  his  incom- 
petency.  I  call  on  him  to  resign  his  command  into  more 
capable  hands,  else  will  we  see  the  foe  at  our  gates,  our 
city  in  ruins,  and  Cholacaca  helpless  under  the  heel  of  the 
tyrant  Xuarez  I" 


EXIT   DON   FRANCISCO  GOMEZ.  345 

Don  Francisco,  bursting  with  indignation,  replied.  Ho 
had  done  his  best!  If  he  had  sent  forward  troops  to  Jan- 
jalla,  they  might  have  been  defeated,  and  then  the  capital 
would  have  fallen  an  easy  prey  to  the  rebels,  through  lack 
of  garrison.  As  it  was,  the  city  could  hold  out  for  months; 
the  Avails  were  strong,  the  garrison  was  resolute,  there  was 
plenty  of  provisions.  He  had  held  the  army  at  Tlatonac 
to  save  the  capital.  Where,  then,  was  the  blunder  in  that? 
By  sea,  the  forces  of  the  Republic  had  been  victorious. 
The  Pizarro  had  been  sunk,  The  Columbus  captured,  and 
now  the  torpederas  were  on  their  way  to  Janjalla  harbor  to 
force  The  Cortes  to  strike  her  flag.  He  had  succeeded  by 
sea.  He  would  succeed  on  land.  When  the  army  of 
Xuarez  was  before  the  walls  of  Tlatonac  the  fate  of  the 
country  could  be  decided  in  one  battle.  He  refused  to 
resign  his  position  as  President. 

The  partisans  of  Maraquando,  the  supporters  of  Gomez, 
broke  out  into  noisy  demonstrations,  and  the  whole  place 
was  in  an  uproar.  The  one  called  upon  Gomez  to  resign, 
the  other  denounced  Maraquando  as  a  traitor.  It  seemed 
as  though  neither  would  give  in,  as  though  the  capital 
would  be  divided  into  two  hostile  factions,  when  a  solution 
of  the  difficulty  was  proposed  by  Padre  Ignatius. 

Making  his  appearance  suddenly  in  the  hall,  the  good 
priest  first  stilled  the  tumult  by  holding  up  his  crucifix, 
and  then  begged  to  lay  before  the  Junta  a  proposition 
which  would  suit  all  parties.  It  would  never  do,  said  the 
Padre,  to  depose  Don  Francisco.  The  pretext  for  war 
alleged  by  Xuarez  was  that  Gomez  ought  to  be  deposed 
for  breaking  the  Constitution  of  Cholacaca.  They  knew 
that  His  Excellency  had  not  done  so;  that  he  had  loyally 
upheld  the  freedom  and  laws  of  the  Eepublic.  If  deposed 
by  his  own  party,  such  a  deposition  would  give  color  to 
Xuarez'  assertion  that  he  had  right  on  his  side,  and  per- 
haps prejudice  the  inland  towns  in  his  favor.  Better  it 
would  be  to  let  Don  Francisco  still  remain  President  till 
the  date  of  the  expiration  of  his  office,  four  months  hence, 
and  in  the  meantime  intrust  the  conduct  of  the  war  solely 
to  Don  Miguel  Maraquando.  By  this  arrangement  His 
Excellency  would  still  continue  nominal  head  of  Cholacaca, 
and  the  war  could  be  conducted  by  Maraquando,  without 
the  responsibility  resting  on  the  President. 


346  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

This  proposition,  seeming  to  be  the  only  possible  solu- 
tion of  the  problem,  was  unanimously  accepted  by  both 
parties.  It  is  true  that  Gomez,  who  hated  Maraquando 
like  poison,  sorely  grudged  giving  up  the  command  of 
affairs  to  his  rival;  but  as  he  saw  that  the  Junta  wished  it 
to  be  so,  he  was  forced  to  yield.  Don  Miguel  was,  there- 
fore, elected  General  of  the  army  of  the  Republic,  and 
Don  Francisco  was  permitted  to  retain  the  civil  rule. 
Then  the  meeting  broke  up,  and  Maraquando  went  off  to 
take  measures  for  the  immediate  relief  of  Chichimec,  while 
Gomez,  much  mortified  at  the  slight  he  had  received, 
retired  sullenly  to  his  palace. 

"  AVhat's  the  matter,  Tim?"  asked  Jack,  as  they  left  the 
Palacio  Nacional.  "  You  ought  to  be  pleased  at  witness- 
ing such  a  stirring  scene,  instead  of  which  you  are  like  a 
bear  with  a  sick  head/' 

"  And  haven't  I  a  cause?"  replied  Tim,  gruffly.  "  Look 
at  all  this  shindy  going  on,  and  I  can't  send  a  telegram  to 
my  paper." 

"  Oh,  that's  it,  is  it?  Well,  then,  ask  Philip  to  lend  you 
The  Bohemian,  and  go  off  to  Truxillo  at  once." 

"Begad,  that  isn't  a  bad  idea  anyhow,"  cried  Tim, 
stopping  suddenly;  ' '  but  I  don't  want  to  leave  Tlatonac 
just  now." 

f<  Well,  you  may  be  pretty  certain  Philip  won't  go,  nor 
I.  Why  not  send  Peter?  Write  out  your  news  here. 
Peter  will  take  it,  and  old  Benker  will  look  after  the 
yacht." 

"How;  far  is  it  to  Truxillo? " 

"A  trifle  over  three  hundred  miles." 

"  Do  you  think  Philip  will  lend  me  the  yacht?" 

"I'm  sure  he  will.  Let  us  ask  him  at  once.  He  is 
flirting  with  Dona  Eulalia  in  Maraquando's  patio." 

Tim,  who  had  quite  recovered  his  spirits  at  Jack's  happy 
suggestion,  started  off  at  once  to  the  Casa  Maraquando. 
There  was  no  necessity,  however,  for  them  to  go  so  far,  for 
they  met  their  friend  coming  down  the  Calle  Otumba. 
He  hailed  them  at  once. 

"  Tim!  Jack!  come  along  to  the  Puerta  de  la  Culebra. 
News  from  Chichimec." 

"What  do  you  say?"  roared  Tim,  plunging  toward  the 
speaker. 


EXIT   DON   FEAKCISCO   GOMEZ.  347 

"  Cocom  came  to  the  Casa  Maraquando  a  few  minutes 
ago,  and  told  me  that  a  messenger  had  arrived  from 
Chichimec.  He  is  at  the  Puerta  de  la  Culebra." 

"The  deuce!"  cried  Jack,  in  alarm,  as  they  hurried 
along  toward  the  gate;  "  perhaps  it's  another  request  for 
relief." 

"  If  so,  they  will  soon  have  it,"  said  Tim,  quickly. 
"  Don  Miguel  is  going  to  send  three  thousand  men  off  this 
day  to  finish  off  those  savages." 

"  Ah,  that  is  something  like!  "  said  Philip,  approvingly; 
"  there  will  be  some  chance  of  relieving  the  city  with  that 
force.  I  am  glad  Don  Miguel  has  matters  now  in  his  own 
hands. 

"  So  am  I.  He'll  end  the  war  in  no  time.  I  say,  Philip, 
lend  me  the  yacht." 

"What  for?    You  are  not  going  to  Janjalla  again?" 

"No!  I'm  going  farther  south.  That  is,  I'm  sending 
Peter  with  dispatches." 

"Whereto?" 

"Truxillo!  He  can  send  off  my  telegrams  from  there. 
Lend  me  the  yacht,  Philip,  and  I'll  love  you  forever- 
more." 

"Oh,  take  her,  by  all  means;  but  I  hope  she  won't  be 
smashed  up  by  the  war-ships  of  Xuarez." 

"He's  only  got  one  now,"  replied  Tim,  coolly;  "and 
she'll  have  her  hands  full  looking  after  the  torpederas." 

"I  forgot  that!  It's  a  good  idea,  Tim!  Get  all  the 
news  together  you  can,  and  Peter  shall  go  out  with  The 
Bohemian  to-night,  both  of  them  in  charge  of  Benker." 

"  Do  you  think  Peter  will  go?"  said  Jack,  doubtfully. 

"Of  course  he  will,"  said  Tim,  promptly.  "The  little 
man's  of  no  use  here.  I'll  make  him  Queen's  messenger 
for  once  in  his  life." 

"Hallo!"  cried  Philip,  at  this  moment,  "there's  old 
Cocom  making  signs.  Ola,  Cocom! " 

The  old  Indian,  who  was  hobbling  on  the  other  side  of 
the  street,  came  over  to  them  with  an  excited  look  on  his 
usually  immobile  face. 

"Carambo,  Seiiores!  the  news;  the  terrible  news!" 

"What  is  it?"  cried  the  three  Englishmen  simulta- 
neously. 

"  Chichimec  has  fallen!" 


348  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

Jack  uttered  an  ejaculation  of  rage,  and  darted  off  to 
the  gate,  followed  by  Tim  and  Philip.  They  found  an 
excited  throng  of  people  talking  wildly  together.  Don 
Sebastian  was  just  under  the  archway,  with  his  glasses  to 
his  eyes,  looking  toward  the  plains  beyond. 

"Is  the  news  true  of  Chichimec's  fall?"  asked  Jack, 
pushing  his  way  through  the  crowd. 

Don  Sebastian  turned  slowly,  with  a  grave  bow,  and 
handed  Jack  the  glasses. 

"Quite  true,  Senor.  See!  fugitives  are  arriving  every 
moment/' 

Jack  clapped  the  glass  to  his  eye,  and  saw  that  the  plain 
was  sprinkled  with  people  all  making  for  the  gate  of  Tla- 
tonac. 

"Why  don't  you  send  out  a  regiment  to  protect  them, 
De  Ahumada?" 

"  It  is  going  now.     Behold,  Senor." 

About  five  hundred  men,  well  mounted,  came  trotting 
down  the  street  and  began  to  file  through  the  archway  out 
on  to  the  plain.  Jack  stood  on  one  side  and  watched  them 
go  by  in  all  their  martial  splendor. 

"How  did  the  Indians  take  the  town,  De  Ahumada?" 

"It  was  surprised  last  night,"  replied  Don  Sebastian, 
sadly.  "  I  expect  the  sentinels  were  worn  out  with  con- 
stant watching.  Dios!  It  is  frightful.  First  Puebla  de 
los  Naranjos,  now  Chichimec;  Janjalla  has  already  fallen, 
and  Tlatonac — " 

"Won't  fall,"  interrupted  Jack,  abruptly,  as  the  last  of 
the  cavalry  swept  through  the  gate.  "When  things  are 
at  their  worst,  matters  mend.  Just  now  they  are  very 
gloomy.  To-morrow  they  may  improve." 

Tim  stayed  behind  to  make  inquiries  about  the  fall  of 
Chichimec  for  the  use  of  his  paper,  and  Philip  in  company 
with  Jack  went  off  to  look  up  Peter,  and  ask  him  if  he 
would  consent  to  act  as  Tim's  messenger  to  Truxillo. 
They  could  not  find  him  in  their  own  house,  and  learned 
from  a  servant  that  he  had  gone  in  search  of  them  to  the 
Casa  Maraquando.  At  once  they  repaired  thither,  and  had 
just  reached  the  door  when  Peter,  with  a  look  of  alarm  on 
his  face,  rushed  out  of  the  house,  almost  falling  into  their 
arms  in  his  hurry. 

"  Philip !    Jack !    Have  you  heard  ?  " 


EXIT    DO'S   FliANCISCO    GOMEZ.  3-iU 

"What  is  the  matter,  Peter?" 

"Don  Francisco  lias  shot  himself!  Don  Miguel  has  just 
told  me." 

Philip  made  a  gesture  of  horror,,  and  Jack  ran  into  the 
house  to  see  Maraquando  and  learn  the  particulars  of  the 
case. 

It  was  perfectly  true.  Unable  to  bear  the  disgrace  of 
being  deposed  from  the  active  conduct  of  affairs,  President 
Gomez  had  retired  to  his  room  and  shot  himself  through 
the  heart. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 


THE   nSTDIAIST   EAID. 

Painted  braves  came  on  the  war  path, 
Numerous  as  the  leaves  in  summer, 
Decked  with  feathers  and  with  wampum. 
All  their  faces  fierce  and  fearless, 
Streaked  with  colors  like  the  sunset. 
Rage  was  in  their  hearts  of  iron; 
Spears  grasped  they,  and  bows  and  arrows, 
And  their  horses,  like  the  storm-clouds, 
Swiftly  swept  across  the  prairies, 
Till  the  firm  earth  shook  and  trembled 
'Neath  the  thunder  of  their  thousands. 
Loud  they  sang  the  song  of  battle, 
Sang  the  song  of  war  and  bloodshed; 
While  the  nations,  women-hearted, 
Hid  wiihin  their  walled  cities, 
Like  the  rabbits  in  their  burrows, 
When  they  heard  that  chant  triumphal. 

Certainly,  fate  was  dealing  hardly  with  the  Republic  of 
Cholacaca.  One  blow  followed  another,  and  it  seemed  as 
though  the  final  catastrophe  would  be  the  triumphal  entry 
of  Don  Hypolito  Xuarez  into  the  capital.  Jan j alia  was  in 
his  possession;  he  now  threatened  Centeotl,  and  the  two 
towns  of  Puebla  de  los  Naranjos  and  Chichimec  had  been 
destroyed  by  his  savage  allies.  The  unexpected  death  of 
Don  Francisco  Gomez  put  the  finishing  touch  to  this  series 
of  calamities,  and  the  whole  city  was  pervaded  by  a  feeling 
of  dismay.  Disquieting  rumors  crept  among  the  people 
that  Xuarez  had  captured  Centeotl  and  Hermanita — that 
he  was  now  on  his  way  to  Tlatonac — that  the  death  of 
President  Gomez  was  due  to  his  machinations.  These 
fabrications,  gaining  additions  as  they  flew  from  mouth  to 
mouth,  carried  fear  into  the  hearts  of  the  citizens,  and 
many  were  of  the  opinion  that  nothing  was  left  save  sur- 
render to  the  insolent  conqueror. 

The  Junta  met  within  an  hour  of  the  intelligence  of 
Don  Francisco's  death,  and  unanimously  elected  Don 

(350) 


THE   IXMAK   EAID.  351 

Miguel  Maraquando  President  of  the  Eepublic.  Even 
the  party  of  the  dead  ruler  supported  this  election,  as  they 
could  not  fail  to  see  that  Maraquando  would  make  an 
exceptionally  vigorous  and  firm-handed  President.  "Though 
there  was  no  doubt  that  Don  Francisco  had  committed 
suicide  out  of  pique  at  being  deposed  from  the  active  com- 
mand of  affairs,  yet  the  Junta,  ignoring  the  manner  of  his 
death,  and  thinking  only  of  his  past  services,  decreed  the 
late  President  a  state  funeral. 

The  houses  of  the  city  were  draped  in  black,  the  flags 
floated  half-mast  high,  the  minute-guns  boomed  at  inter- 
vals from  the  forts,  and,  with  all  due  formalities,  President 
Gomez  was  interred  in  the  vaults  of  the  cathedral. 
When  the  ceremony  was  at  an  end,  a  weight  seemed  to  be 
lifted  off  the  city.  The  bad  fortune  which  had  persist- 
ently dogged  the  later  months  of  Don  Francisco's  rule 
seemed  to  be  passing  away,  and,  under  the  vigorous  leader- 
ship of  Maraquando,  the  capital  became  wildly  patriotic. 
One  idea  pervaded  the  minds  of  all — that  the  war  was  to 
be  ended  at  once,  and  that  Xuarez  was  to  be  crushed  by 
prompt  and  well-conceived  measures. 

After  the  Indians  had  sacked  Chichimec,  it  was  natu- 
rally expected  that  they  would  march  southward  and  join 
Don  Hypolito  before  Centeotl.  Instead  of  this,  however, 
the  savages  began  to  threaten  the  capital,  and  daily  bands 
of  well-horsed  braves  would  scour  the  plains  before  the 
Puerto  de  la  Culebra.  Sometimes  the  soldiers  on  guard, 
exasperated  by  this  insolent  defiance  of  the  principal  city 
of  Cholacaca,  would  dash  out  in  small  parties;  but  on 
such  a  sally  being  made,  the  Indians  always  disappeared. 
The  bulk  of  their  army  still  lay  (as  was  ascertained  by 
spies)  at  Chichimec,  and  it  seemed  as  though  these  scout- 
ing parties  were  anxious  to  draw  the  troops  of  the  Junta 
from  behind  the  walls,  so  as  to  fall  on  them  in  the  open 
plain. 

President  Maraquando  was  anxious  to  march  his  whole 
army  south  and  encounter  Don  Hypolito  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Centeotl.  In  order  to  do  this  he  would  have  to 
overcome  the  hordes  of  savages  which  formed  a  living 
barrier  between  Tlatonac  and  Chichimec.  This  entailed 
some  risk.  If  beaten  by  the  Indians,  he  would  have  to 
fall  back  on  the  capital  in  a  crippled  condition,  and  thus 


352  THE  HABLEQUIN"  OPAL. 

give  Xuarez  time  to  increase  and  discipline  his  army. 
Then,  again,  even  if  he  did  succeed  in  conquering  these 
bloodthirsty  tribes,  he  would  in  all  probability  lose  many 
of  his  men,  and  be  forced  to  encounter  Don  Hypolito's 
fresh  soldiers  with  jaded  and  diminished  troops. 

At  one  time  he  thought  of  waiting  until  the  return  of 
the  torpederas  from  J an j alia,  and  then,  embarking  his 
troops  on  The  Iturbide,  proceed  southward  to  attack 
Xuarez  in  the  rear.  Even  there  the  savages  would  have  to 
be  reckoned  with,  and  during  his  absence,  and  that  of  the 
greater  portion  of  his  troops,  would  perhaps  attack  the 
capital.  Besides,  Maraquando  did  not  wish  to  risk  an 
expedition  to  Janjalla  unless  The  Cortes  were  either  sunk 
or  captured.  Altogether,  he  was  in  a  state  of  much  per- 
plexity, and  the  only  way  by  which  he  could  make  a  move 
was  to  detach  the  Indians  from  the  cause  of  Xuarez;  This 
task  was  accomplished  by  Jack  Duval  in  what  seemed  to 
be  almost  a  miraculous  fashion. 

The  new  President  entertained  a  great  opinion  of  DuvaFs 
abilities.  He  invariably  found  him  clear  and  shrewd, 
capable  of  giving  good  advice,  and  wonderfully  prompt  in 
coming  to  a  decision  in  time  of  emergency.  Therefore, 
when,  shortly  after  the  death  of  Don  Francisco,  the  young 
man  called  to  see  him  at  the  Casa  Maraquando,  with  a  view 
to  lay  a  certain  proposition  before  him  useful  to  the  Repub- 
lic, Don  Miguel  interviewed  him  at  once,  and  gave  him  his 
fullest  attention. 

Some  time  since,  Peter,  with  Tim's  notes,  had  started  in 
The  Bohemian  for  Truxillo,  and  at  the  last  moment  Philip 
decided  to  go  with  him.  Jack  decided  to  confer  with 
Maraquando  about  his  proposed  scheme,  and  to  be  on  the 
spot  in  order  to  carry  it  out.  Tim  was  afraid  to  leave  the 
capital  lest  he  should  miss  some  stirring  event  likely  to  be 
of  value  to  his  paper;  but  Philip  had  no  special  reason  for 
remaining  constantly  at  Tlatonac,  unless  for  the  sake  of 
Dona  Eulalia.  Doctor  Grench  did  -not  object  to  go  to 
Truxillo  in  The  Bohemian,  but  on  observing  that  he  would 
feel  more  at  ease  regarding  the  navigation  of  the  vessel  if 
Philip  commanded  her,  the  baronet  promptly  decided  to 
go.  It  was  a  good  thing  for  Peter  that  old  Benker  had  not 
heard  this  reflection  on  his  seamanship,  else  he  would  have 
been  much  displeased.  At  all  events,  Peter,  by  artfully 


THE   INDIAN   RAID.  353 

putting  the  matter  in  this  light,  secured  Philip  for  his 
companion,  and  the  yacht  had  departed  the  previous  day 
for  Honduras.  She  was  expected  back  in  four  days,  and 
Philip  determined  on  his  return  voyage  to  stand  in  close  to 
the  shore  of  Janjalla,  and  assure  himself  of  the  result  of 
the  expedition  against  The  Cortes. 

Jack  made  his  appearance  in  the  patio  in  the  company 
of  Cocom,  whose  presence  he  required  in  the  delicate  pro- 
posal he  had  to  make.  He  intended  to  appeal  to  the  super- 
stitious side  of  the  Indian  character,  and  wanted  Cocom  to 
back  up  his  opinion  so  as  to  induce  Don  Miguel  to  give  his 
consent  to  an  experiment  he  desired  to  attempt  connected 
with  the  Harlequin  Opal.  Don  Miguel  was  on  the  azotea 
smoking  endless  cigarettes,  and  glancing  over  some  papers 
relating  to  the  civil  government.  His  secretary  was 
present,  but  when  Duval  appeared,  the  President  sent  him 
below  with  the  documents,  and  received  Jack  and  his  fac- 
totum alone.  Jack  took  a  seat  by  the  President,  and 
Cocom,  rolling  a  cigarette,  squatted  on  the  floor,  wrapped 
in  his  zarape. 

"Where  is  the  Sefior  Corresponsal?"  asked  Don  Miguel, 
solemnly,  after  the  first  greetings  had  passed  between 
them. 

"At  the  Puerta  de  la  Culebra," replied  Jack,  taking  the 
cigar  offered  to  him  by  the  old  gentleman.  "  I  asked  him 
to  wait  there,  Senor,  as  in  an  hour  or  so  the  peon  sent  by 
your  Excellency  to  Chichimec  is  expected  back." 

"Bueno!     But  what  news  do  you  expect  by  the  peon?" 

"  News  that  the  Indians  contemplate  an  advance  on 
Tlatouac!" 

"  Por  todos  Santos!  Don  Juan,  such  a  thing  can  not  be. 
The  Indians  would  not  dare  to  so  insult  the  majesty  of 
the  Republic." 

Jack  privately  thought  the  majesty  of  the  Republic  had 
been  pretty  well  insulted  already,  but  wisely  refrained 
from  giving  voice  to  such  an  opinion. 

"The  Indians,  Excelencia,"  he  said,  smoothly,  "are, 
according  to  trustworthy  reports,  six  thousand  strong,  and 
thus  think  themselves  a  match  for  even  the  capital  of 
Cholacaca.  They  have  reduced  Puebla  de  los  Naranjos  to 
ashes;  they  have  sacked  Chichimec  without  hindrance, 
and,  excited  by  such  victories,  have  rashly  determined  to 
as 


354  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

attack  Tlatonac  on  their  own  account  without  waiting  for 
the  arrival  of  Xuarez." 

"  Do  you  really  think  they  will  dare  to  camp  under  our 
walls?"  asked  Don  Miguel,  still  incredulous. 

"  I  really  do  think  so,  Excelencia,"  replied  Jack,  frankly. 
"  If  you  think  I  am  too  rash  in  pronouncing  such  an 
opinion,  question  our  friend  Cocom.  He  has  already  ren- 
dered great  services  to  you  and  to  the  Republic.  There- 
fore, you  must  know  that  he  speaks  truth.  Speak  to  him, 
Sefior." 

Tne  President  turned  his  eyes  toward  the  old  India'n, 
who,  impassive  as  an  idol,  sat  at  his  feet  smoking  a  cigar- 
ette. He  answered  Maraquando's  inquiring  look  with  a 
grunt  of  assent  to  Jack's  remark. 

"  I  am  a  true  Indian,  Excelencia!  Of  the  Mayas  I  am, 
and  my  name  is  that  of  their  kings.  Cocom  speaks  now 
the  truth.  Don  Xuarez  is  also  an  Indian;  he  comes  from 
the  hidden  city  of  Totatzine.  He  has  an  understanding 
with  the  high  priest,  Ixtlilxochitli.  Don  Hypolito  said 
war,  and  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac,  through  the  priests  of 
Huitzilopochtli,  said  war.  Therefore  are  six  thousand 
Indians  in  arms.  Now  the  opal  is  in  the  possession  of  the 
enemies  of  the  god,  in  Tlatonac,  a  city  hated  by  Ixtlilxo- 
chitli and  Xuarez.  They  have  told  their  fighting  men  that 
this  war  is  a  holy  war,  for  the  recovery  of  the  sacred  shining 
stone.  Were  it  not  for  the  opal  the  Indians  would  not  dare 
to  come  to  Tlatonac,  even  with  six  thousand  braves.  But 
it  is  a  holy  war.  They  will  dare  anything  to  recover  the 
sacred  stone.  Therefore  will  they  come  here,  Excelencia, 
and  camp  under  your  walls.  This  is  the  truth,  I  swear  by 
the  shrine  of  the  Holy  Mother  of  God." 

"It  might  be  so,"  said  Maraquando,  musingly;  "the 
opal  is  in  Tlatonac,  without  doubt — my  niece  has  it  in  her 
chamber;  and  knowing  how  sacred  the  Indians  hold  the 
gem,  I  doubt  not  that  they  will  fight  boldly  to  gain  it 
again  for  the  hidden  shrine  of  their  god,  Huitzilopochtli." 

"  Assuredly,  Don  Miguel.  And  to  gain  it  they  will  come 
to  Tlatonac." 

"  That  must  not  be!  "  cried  the  President,  emphatically. 
I  will  send  an  army  against  them,  and  encounter  their  host 
at  Chichimec." 

"With  what  result,  Sefior?     Even   if  you  conquered, 


THE  INDIAN-   RAID.  355 

the  victory  would  cost  you  many  men,  and  thus  would  your 
army  be  weakened  to  encounter  Xuarez." 

'  •'  True,  true !  Don  Juan.     But  what  then  is  to  be  done  ?  " 

"  Let  the  Indian  army  come  to  Tlatonac.  Let  them 
camp  under  the  walls.  Close  the  gates  of  the  city,  and 
make  no  hostile  sign." 

"What  say  you,  Senor?"  said  Maraquando,  in  a  fiery 
tone.  "  Would  you  have  me  leave  this  savage  foe  in  peace 
till  joined  by  Don  Hypolito — by  the  rebel  Xuarez?" 

"  They  will  not  be  joined  by  Xuarez,  Don  Miguel. 
When  the  rebels  arrive,  they  will  find  no  savage  allies 
under  the  walls  of  Tlatonac/' 

"  If  it  could  be  so,  it  would  be  well.  But  how,  Senor, 
do  you  propose  to  make  this  savage  army  vanish  without  a 
blow?" 

"  By  means  of  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac." 

"  I  do  not  understand,  mi  amigo.  Explain,  if  you  will 
be  so  gracious.  I  am  all  attention." 

Jack  began  to  explain  without  further  preamble. 

"  Observe,  Excelencia,"  he  said,  slowly,  so  that  Don 
Miguel  could  have  no  difficulty  in  following  his  reasons, 
"it  is  now  noon;  this  night,  if  I  mistake  not,  the  Indian 
army  will  come  to  Tlatonac — " 

"Bueno!  "  interrupted  Cocom,  nodding  his  head  like  a 
mandarin;  "I  have  heard  this  thing  spoken  with  many 
tongues.  Your  messenger,  Excelencia,  will  confirm  what 
I  say.  The  Indian  army  will  march  this  night  for  Tla- 
tonac. At  dawn  will  you  see  them  encamped  round  the 
walls." 

"Proceed,  Don  Juan,"  said  the  President,  gravely. 

"  As  you  can  see,  Senor  Maraquando,"  pursued  Jack, 
emphasizing  his  remarks  with  his  finger,  "  the  savages  will 
not  arrive  till  night;  so  as  it  is  now  but  noon  we  will  have 
time  to  make  ready  for  their  arrival." 

"  Dios!     You  said  make  no  preparations!" 

"No  hostile  preparations.  No,  Senor;  listen,  I  pray 
you.  We  have  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac,  the  properties  of 
which  are  regarded  with  superstitious  reverence  by  the 
Indians.  What  the  opal  commands  they  will  do.  When 
it  glows  red  they  prepare  for  war.  Let  an  azure  ray  shine 
and  they  know  that  the  god  commands  peace,  and,  at 
whatever  cost,  will  lay  down  their  arms." 


356  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"How  is  this  done,  this  glowing  of  red,  of  blue?" 

"  I  will  explain,  Senor.  In  the  hidden  city  I  saw  it. 
The  opal  hung  by  a  golden  thread  before  the  shrine  of 
Huitzilopochtli,  and  this  thread  was  twisted  in  a  certain 
way  by  the  priests.  By  careful  calculation,  they  could  tell 
how  far  it  would  untwist,  so  that  the  opal  stone  depended 
motionless,  showing  the  color  they  wished.  If  they  desired 
war,  the  red  side  of  the  stone  revealed  itself;  if  peace,  the 
blue.  To  prophesy  plenty,  the  yellow  ray  came  to  the 
front,  and  so  on  with  all  the  tints." 

"  Then  you  say,  Don  Juan,  that  if  these  Indians  saw  the 
opal  glowing  blue  they  would  lay  down  their  arms?" 

"  Assuredly,  Senor!  and  withdraw  at  once  to  Totatzine, 
leaving  Xuarez  to  meet  the  forces  of  the  Junta  alone.  If 
the  stone  glows  blue,  they  know  it  is  the  will  of  the  god 
that  they  should  not  fight." 

Don  Miguel  smiled  incredulously. 

"I  doubt,  Senor,  whether  these  warriors,  flushed  with 
the  sacking  of  Puebla  de  los  Naranjos  and  Chichimec, 
would  obey  the  stone  now,  even  though  it  glowed  blue  and 
thus  proclaimed  peace." 

"Excelencia! "  broke  in  Cocom,  earnestly,  "you  know 
not  the  power  of  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac.  I,  Senor,  am  a 
good  Catholic.  I  believe  not  in  the  devil  stone;  but  my 
countrymen,  Senor,  think  that  the  spirit  of  the  god  Huitzi- 
lopochtli dwells  in  the  gem.  They  believe  that  be  would 
punish  them  with  plagues  unto  death  were  they  to  disobey 
his  will  as  conveyed  by  the  opal.  The  shining  precious 
stone  is  the  strongest  thing  in  the  world  to  them.  Believe 
me,  Excelencia,  that  when  the  warriors  see  the  stone  glow 
blue,  even  were  they  on  the  eve  of  entering  Tlatonac,  they 
would  lay  down  their  arms  and  retire  to  the  forests." 

"I  trust  this  may  be  so,"  said  Maraquando,  addressing 
himself  to  Jack,  not  unimpressed  by  the  Indian's  speech; 
"but  how,  Senor  Duval,  do  you  propose  to  let  them  see 
the  opal?" 

"In  the  chapel  of  Padre  Ignatius,  outside  the  walls," 
replied  Jack,  promptly.  "  Cocom  knows  where  there  is  an 
image  of  the  war-god.  He  will  set  it  up  on  the  altar  of 
the  chapel.  Before  it,  by  a  thread,  we  will  hang  the 
sacred  stone.  At  dawn  all  will  be  ready,  and  Cocom  can 
so  twist  the  thread  that  when  the  opal  hangs  motionless  it 


THE   INDIAX   RAID.  35? 

glow  blue.  The  Indians  will  arrive  during  the  night. 
At  dawn  they  will  spread  themselves  through  the  suburbs 
and  enter  the  chapel  of  the  good  Padre.  There  they  will 
see  the  image  of  their  god,  the  sacred  splendor  of  the  opal. 
They  will  kneel  down  and  worship,  watching  the  twisting 
of  the  gem.  When  it  stops  and  glows  blue,  then  will  they 
know  Huitzilopochtli  is  satisfied  with  the  sacking  of  the 
two  towns,  and  now  commands  peace.  Before  noon,  Excel- 
encia,  there  will  not  be  a  single  Indian  left  before  the  walls. 
They  will  retire  into  the  forests,  to  the  sacred  city  of  Totat- 
zine,  and  thus  will  Xuarez  lose  his  allies." 

Maraquando  listened  to  this  proposal  in  silence,  his 
cheek  resting  in  the  palm  of  his  right  hand,  nor  when 
Jack  had  concluded  did  he  alter  his  position.  He  mused 
long  and  deeply,  neither  of  his  guests  attempting  to  inter- 
rupt his  meditations.  This  idea  of  detaching  the  Indians 
from  Xuarez  by  means  of  the  opal  seemed  to  him  to  be 
childish.  That  an  army  of  six  thousand  untutored  savages 
flushed  with  victory  should  voluntarily  retire  at  the 
bidding  of  Huitzilopochtli,  spoken  through  the  stone, 
seemed  improbable.  But  then  Maraquando  had  never 
been  to  Totatzine;  he  did  not  know  in  what  extreme 
veneration  the  opal  was  held  by  the  Indians,  and  thus 
deemed  Jack's  proposition  weak,  when,  in  reality,  it  could 
scarcely  have  been  stronger.  Nothing  is  so  powerful  as 
superstition;  and  to  work  on  the  minds  of  the  Indians 
through  their  abject  belief  in  the  virtues  of  the  shining 
precious  stone  was  a  master-stroke  on  the  part  of  Duval. 

"  It  seems  to  me/'  said  Maraquando,  at  length  raising 
his  eyes,  "that  the  carrying  out  of  this  scheme  will  entail 
the  loss  of  the  opal." 

"  Without  doubt,  Senor,"  replied  Duval,  coolly;  "  but 
by  such  a  sacrifice  you  gain  more  than  you  lose.  The 
Indians  will  desert  Xuarez,  you  will  be  able  to  march  your 
army  south,  and  conquer  him  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Centeotl  before  he  has  time  to  approach  nearer  to  the 
capital.  Then  you  can  crush  his  nest  of  traitors  in 
Acauhtzin.  Better  lose  the  opal  than  Tlatonac,  and  if  we 
do  not  succeed  in  getting  rid  of  the  Indians  it  may  be  that 
the  city  will  fall." 

"What  says  my  niece,  Dona  Dolores?" 

"I  havo  spoken  to  her,  Senor,  and  for  the  sake  of  the 
city  she  is  willing  to  run  the  risk  of  losing  the  jewel." 

23 


358  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

Don  Miguel  smiled  approvingly.  He  was  patriotic  him- 
self, and  liked  to  see  the  same  quality  displayed  by  all  his 
family.  At  the  same  time,  he  was  a  just  man,  and,  know- 
ing how  Dolores  loved  the  gem,  did  not  care  about  taking 
advantage  of  her  offer  to  sacrifice  the  same,  unless  she 
voluntarily  consented  to  surrender  the  sacred  stone. 

"We  will  ask  the  lady  herself,"  he  said,  rising  from  his 
chair.  "  One  moment,  Senor;  I  will  return  with  my 
niece." 

He  disappeared  down  the  staircase  leading  to  the  patio, 
and  Jack  was  left  alone  with  Cocom. 

"It  may  be  that  the  Indians  will  not 'dare  to  take  the 
jewel,"  said  Jack,  looking  at  the  old  man. 

Cocom  uttered  a  grunt  which  might  have  meant  any- 
thing. 

"Best  content,  Don  Juan.  Once  the  Chalchuih  Tla- 
tonac  leaves  the  walls  of  the  city,  it  will  never  return 
again.  Back  to  the  sacred  shrine  of  Totatzine  will  it  go. 
The  high  priest  has  ordered  it  to  be  sought  for  far  and 
wide,  lest  the  god  afflict  the  people  with  plagues  for  its 
loss." 

"Still,  if  I  remained  in  the  chapel,  and  watched  it?" 

"You,  Senor?  Nay,  that,  indeed,  would  be  rash.  The 
Indians  would  slay  you.  Only  one  will  watch  the  jewel; 
but  that  one  can  not  prevent  the  worshipers  seizing  it." 

"You  mean  yourself?" 

"It  is  said.  I  speak  of  Cocom.  He  will  sit  by  the 
image  of  the  god  when  the  Indians  enter  the  chapel  of  the 
good  father." 

"But  the  Indians  might  slay  you,  Cocom." 

"  That  which  is  to  be  must  be,"  replied  the  old  man, 
stolidly.  "  Cocom  must  watch  the  sacred  gem  so  that  it 
sends  the  blue  ray  of  peace  from  its  breast.  The  tribes 
have  been  told  by  Ixtlilxochitli  that  Cocom  is  a  traitor  and 
false  to  the  worship  of  the  old  gods.  When  he  is  seen  he 
must  die." 

"But,  my  friend,  I—" 

"  Be  silent,  Senor.  Not  you  nor  any  man  can  turn  aside 
the  spear  of  Teoyamiqui.  Why  should  I  murmur  if  death 
be  my  portion?  I  am  old,  I  am  mutilated,  I  am  weary  of 
life.  If  I  die  I  die,  and  for  the  safety  of  the  white  people. 
It  may  be,  Senor,  that,  as  says  the  good  Padre,  Cocom 


THE  INDIAN  RAID.  359 

shall  go  to  the  heaven  of  the  Christians.  With  the  Virgin 
such  going  rests." 

Jack  found  no  words  to  reply  to  this  speech,  and 
remained  silently  thinking  of  how  he  could  save  the  old 
man  from  death.  He  had  as  yet  arrived  at  no  conclusion, 
when  Don  Miguel  apppeared  with  his  niece  on  the  floor  of 
the  azotea.  Dolores  ran  toward  Jack  and  threw  herself 
into  his  arms. 

"  Querido,"  she  said,  in  a  tender  voice,  "  my  good  uncle 
tells  me  of  your  scheme.  It  is  that  of  which  you  spoke  to 
me.  It  will  save  Tlatonac  from  savage  foes,  and  thus  do  I 
aid  you  to  the  extent  of  my  powers." 

She  held  out  the  opal  toward  him. 

"  You  may  lose  it  altogether,  Dolores." 

"No  matter,  Juanito.     It  will  save  the  city." 

"  And  you  consent  to  this  sacrifice,  Don  Miguel?" 

"  Yes,  Sefior.  I  think  it  will  turn  aside  this  host  of 
savages.  With  them  away,  we  can  hope  to  conquer  Xuarez. 
Otherwise — "  Maraquando  stopped  suddenly,  and  made  a 
gesture  of  despair. 

"  Of  course  it  is  merely  an  experiment,"  said  Jack, 
doubtfully. 

"But  one  which  must  be  successful,"  cried  Dolores, 
quickly.  "Querido,  can  you  doubt  that,  after  what  we 
saw  in  the  sacred  city?  As  the  god  speaks  through  the 
opal,  so  will  the  Indians  act.  Let  it  dart,  then,  its  blue 
ray,  and  draw  them  back  to  their  forests." 

"You  are  sure  you  can  make  it  shine  blue,  Cocom?" 

"  Senor,"  said  the  old  man,  with  great  dignity,  "  I  give 
my  life  to  prove  that  this  will  be  so." 

Jack  took  the  opal  from  the  outstretched  hand  of 
Dolores. 

"  So  be  it! "  he  cried,  fervently.  "  The  opal  has  brought 
the  Indians  to  Tlatonac;  the  opal  will  send  them  back 
again  to  Totatzine." 

Tim  suddenly  made  his  appearance  with  a  face  full  of 
excitement. 

"Jack!  Sefior  Maraquando!"  he  said,  quickly,  in 
Spanish,  "  the  messenger  you  sent  to  spy  on  the  Indians 
at  Chichimec  has  returned." 

"What  does  he  say,  Senor  Corresponsal?  " 

"That  the  whole  host  of  Indians  are   marching  from 


360  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

Chichimec,  and  will  be  camped  round  the  walls  at  dawn. 
Dios!  We  are  lost!" 

"No! "  cried  Jack,  brightly,  "  we  are  saved! " 

"What  the  deuce  will  save  us,  Jack?  "asked  Tim,  in 
English. 

"This!" 

Duval  held  up  the  Harlequin  Opal.  A  ray  of  sunlight 
struck  the  jewel,  and  a  blue  ray  darted  ont  like  a  tongue 
of  steel. 

"Bueno!"  said  Cocom,  stolidly;  "the  Chalchuih  Tla- 
tonac  prophesies  peace. " 


CHAPTEE  XXXI. 

THE  LUCK   OF  THE   OPAL. 

The  red  ray  dies  in  the  opal  stone, 

The  god  hath  spoken; 

Arrow  and  bow  and  spear  be  broken. 

Red  of  war  is  the  fiery  token, 

And  lo!  in  the  zone 

It  pales,  and  fades,  and  faints,  and  dies, 

As  sunsets  wane  in  the  eastern  skies. 

The  blue  ray  glows  iu  the  opal's  heart, 

The  god  is  smiling; 

Victims  no  more  need  we  be  piling 

On  altar  stone  for  his  dread  beguiling; 

The  blue  rays  dart 

To  tell  us  war  must  surely  cease, 

So  in  the  land  let  there  be  peace. 

Jack  at  once  proceeded  to  execute  his  project.  Fortu- 
nately Padre  Ignatius  had  gone  south  in  The  Iturbide, 
thinking  his  ministrations  might  be  required  by  the 
wounded,  else  Duval  would  never  have  gained  the  good 
priest's  consent  to  such  a  desecration  of  his  chapel.  As  it 
was,  Jack  hoped  to  carry  out  his  scheme  and  restore  the 
chapel  to  its  original  state  before  the  return  of  the  old 
man.  The  actual  elevation  of  a  heathen  idol  on  the  shrine 
of  the  Virgin  not  being  seen  by  Padre  Ignatius,  he  would 
think  less  of  the  sacrilegious  act,  more  especially  when  he 
would  find  on  his  return  that  the  altar  was  in  nearly  the 
same  state  as  when  he  left  it.  Being  a  Protestant,  Jack 
had  no  scruples  about  the  matter,  and  Cocom  was  such  a 
queer  mixture  of  paganism  and  Catholicism  that  his  views 
were  not  very  decided.  He  believed  in  the  Virgin,  cer- 
tainly; but  seeing  that  her  altar  was  required  to  save  the 
city,  Cocom  thought  that  she  surely  would  not  object 
to  the  conversion  for  a  time  of  her  chapel  into  a  heathen 
temple.  Besides,  if  this  were  not  done,  the  Indians  would 
be  sure  to  destroy  the  shrine;  so  it  was  best  to  make  an 
attempt  to  avert  such  a  disaster,  even  in  such  an  illegiti- 

(J61) 


362  THE    HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

mate  way,  rather  than  risk  the  whole  place  being  destroyed 
by  the  savages.  This  was  Coconrs  idea  in  the  matter; 
therefore  he  proceeded  to  put  an  image  of  Huitzilopochtli 
in  the  place  occupied  by  the  cross.  Father  Ignatius  would 
have  died  with  horror  had  he  witnessed  such  daring. 

All  the  afternoon  they  labored  to  transfer  the  chapel  into 
a  semblance  of  the  temple  of  the  war-god,  and  at  length 
succeeded  in  making  it  a  very  fair  representation.  Huitzi- 
lopochtli, with  his  left  foot  decked  with  humming-bird 
feathers,  was  set  up  on  the  shrine  itself,  a  small  altar  on 
which  a  fire  was  lighted  placed  before  him,  and  the  walls 
were  draped  with  mats  of  feather-work  and  pictured  linen, 
Avhereon  were  depicted  the  hideous  forms  of  Aztec  deities. 
From  the  roof,  by  a  gold  thread,  hung  the  famous  opal 
spinning  in  the  dim  light.  After  some  calculation  Cocom 
made  a  hole  in  the  roof  of  the  chapel,  so  that  when  the 
sun  rose  over  the  walls  of  the  city  his  beams  would  pour 
through  the  opening  and  bathe  the  gem  in  floods  of  gold. 

Where  Cocom  had  discovered  all  this  idolatrous  para- 
phernalia Jack  could  not  make  out,  nor  would  the  old 
Indian  tell.  But  it  confirmed  Duval  in  his  belief  that  in  the 
near  neighborhood  of  Tlatonac  the  natives  still  worshiped 
the  gods  of  their  ancestors,  for  the  celerity  with  which 
Cocom  had  produced  statue,  pictured  linen,  and  altar 
pointed  to  the  existence  of  some  hidden  temple  close  at 
hand.  In  fact,  despite  Cocom's  asseverations  to  the  con- 
trary, Jack  began  to  be  doubtful  as  to  his  really  being  a 
Christian,  as  he  betrayed  far  too  much  knowledge  of 
paganism  in  its  worst  form  to  be  quite  orthodox.  One 
thing,  however,  was  certain,  that,  pagan  or  not,  Cocom 
was  greatly  incensed  against  Ixtlilxochitli  for  maiming 
him,  and  was  doing  his  best  to  thwart  the  plans  of  the 
savage  old  priest. 

Things  having  been  thus  arranged,  toward  sunset  Jack 
tried  to  persuade  Cocom  to  return  with  him  to  the  city, 
and  leave  the  opal  to  work  out  its  own  spell.  This  the 
obstinate  octogenarian  refused  to  do,  averring  that  without 
his  personal  superintendence  the  scheme  would  fail.  Jack 
was  unwilling  that  a  man  from  whom  he  had  derived  so 
many  benefits  should  be  left  unprotected  amid  a  horde  of 
bloodthirsty  savages,  and  insisted  on  remaining  with  him 
to  keep  vigil  during  the  night.  This  offer  Cocom  also 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  OPAL.  363 

refused,  and  implored  Jack  to  return  at  once  to  the  city 
and  have  the  gates  closed,  as  it  was  near  sunset,  and  the 
Indian  army  would  soon  be  close  at  hand. 

"Leave  me  here,  Senor,"  he  said,  with  quiet  obstinacy. 
"  It  may  be  that  I  fall  not  into  their  hands.  They  may 
take  the  opal — that  is  sure — but  they  may  not  take  me.  If 
you  remain,  your  white  skin  will  attract  their  fury,  and 
they  may  sacrifice  you  before  that  very  altar  you  have 
assisted  to  rear.  I  am  an  Indian,  a  Maya.  Dog  does  not 
bite  dog.  It  may  be  that  I  shall  escape/' 

"  Not  if  Ixtlilxochitli  can  help  it." 

"  Oh,  that  evil  one!  He  would  have  my  blood,  I  know, 
Don  Juan.  But  behold,  Senor,  if  I  — as  the  Indians,  my 
countrymen,  think — took  the  opal  from  Totatzine,  I  now 
bring  it  back  again.  That  may  save  me! " 

"But,  Cocom— " 

"Depart,  Senor;  I  have  my  own  plans.  What  says  the 
proverb  of  the  white  people?  'Every  one  is  master  of  his 
own  soul/  Go!  I  save  mine  as  I  will!" 

It  seemed  to  Jack  that  Cocom  was  desirous  of  wearing  the 
crown  of  martyrdom.  However,  it  was  useless  to  try  to  turn 
him  from  his  purpose,  as  he  was  obstinately  set  on  daring 
the  fury  of  the  Indians.  Jack,  for  a  moment,  thought  of 
employing  force,  and  looked  at  the  spare  frame  of  the  old 
man,  with  the  idea  of  picking  him  up  and  bearing  him  inside 
the  city.  Perhaps  something  of  his  purpose  showed  itself 
in  his  eyes,  for  Cocom  suddenly  darted  out  of  the  chapel 
and  disappeared.  Though  he  searched  everywhere,  Jack 
was  unable  to  find  him,  so  proceeded  to  the  Puerta  de  la 
Culebra,  and  reported  his  arrival  to  Don  Sebastian,  who 
was  stationed  there  in  command  of  the  guard. 

"And  the  Indian,  Senor?" 

"  Refuses  to  come  within,  Don  Sebastian.  He  says  he 
is  safe  outside." 

De  Ahumada  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  made  the  same 
remark  as  had  Cocom  some  quarter  of  an  hour  before. 

"  Bueno!     Dog  does  not  bite  dog." 

Then  he  ordered  the  gates  to  be  closed,  which  was 
accordingly  done.  It  was  now  too  late  to  alter  existing 
circumstances,  and  the  whole  chances  of  detaching  the 
Indian  host  from  the  cause  of  Xuarez  lay  with  Cocom  and 
the  opal.  Jack  went  off  to  the  Casa  Maraquando,  in  order 


364  THE  HARLEQT7IK  OPAL. 

to  inform  Don  Miguel  of  all  that  had  been  done,  and  then 
rewarded  himself  for  that  wearisome  afternoon  by  chatting 
with  Dolores.  It  had  been  deemed  advisable  by  Don 
Miguel  to  keep  Jack's  scheme  secret,  lest,  should  the 
attempt  fail  and  the  opal  be  lost,  the  populace  should  lose 
heart  in  the  forthcoming  struggle  with  Xuarez.  So  long 
as  the  opal  was  in  the  city,  they  deemed  themselves  invin- 
cible; so,  whether  the  attempt  to  detach  the  Indians  suc- 
ceeded or  failed,  Maraquando  determined  that  the  people 
of  Tlatonac  should  still  think  that  the  sacred  stone  was  in 
the  possession  of  his  niece. 

Late  that  night  Jack  went  out  on  the  walls  with  Tim, 
and  together  they  watched  the  Indians  gather  round. 
Above  the  Puerta  de  la  Culebra  was  fixed  a  powerful 
electric  light,  which  irradiated  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  space  beyond  the  gate.  Without  the  walls  there  was 
quite  a  town,  as  the  huts  of  the  peons  stretched  away  in 
long  lines,  alternating  with  palms,  cactus,  aloes,  and 
densely  foliaged  ombu  trees.  Close  to  the  gate  these  huts 
clustered  thickly  together,  but  after  a  time  became  scat- 
tered, and  finally  ceased  on  the  verge  of  the  plains,  where 
the  ground  was  thickly  covered  with  brushwood. 

The  Indians,  fearful  of  the  guns  protruding  from  the 
walls,  and  doubtful  of  the  weird  glare  of  the  electric  light, 
kept  away  beyond  the  line  of  huts,  and  finally  camped  in 
the  open  ground  beyond.  Notwithstanding  the  distance 
they  kept  from  the  town,  the  powerful  rays  of  electric 
light  blazed  full  on  their  camp  and  caused  them  consider- 
able uneasiness.  The  two  Englishmen  could  see  their  tall 
dark  forms  gliding  like  ghosts  through  the  white  radi- 
ance, and  at  times  a  mounted  troop  of  horsemen  would 
dash  furiously  across  the  circle  of  light,  disappearing  into 
the  further  darkness.  Just  below,  a  stone's-throw  from 
the  wall,  arose  the  little  chapel  of  Father  Ignatius,  beneath 
whose  roof  Cocom,  with  the  opal,  awaited  the  dawn. 

For  some  hours  Jack  watched  the  strange  sight,  that 
savage  picture  starting  out  of  the  surrounding  darkness, 
and  ultimately  retired  to  his  house,  hopeful  that  before 
noon  of  the  next  day  all  the  Indians  would  have  disap- 
peared. Tim  remained  behind,  talking  to  Don  Sebastian, 
and  scribbling  notes  in  his  book;  but  at  last  he  also  went 
to  rest,  and  the  wall  was  left  in  possession  of  De  Ahumada 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  OPAL.  365 

and  his  guard.  All  night  long  the  electric  light  flashed 
its  beams  on  the  camp,  so  as  to  guard  against  an  unex- 
pected attack  by  the  Indians. 

At  dawn,  the  savages  were  up  and  doing  before  sunrise. 
They  gathered  together  in  groups,  and  talked  of  how  they 
were  to  attack  this  formidable  city,  whose  colossal  walls 
bid  defiance  to  their  puny  weapons.  They  could  see  sol- 
diers moving  along  the  ramparts,  the  black  muzzles  of  the 
guns  frowning  fiercely  down,  and  wondered  at  the  abso- 
lute indifference  of  the  Bepublic,  who  thus  permitted  her 
hereditary  enemies  to  camp  before  the  gates  of  her  princi- 
pal city.  Everything  within  the  town  was  quiet,  the  gates 
were  firmly  closed,  no  peons  were  to  be  seen  moving  about 
the  suburbs,  and  the  Indians,  blackening  the  plain  with 
their  thousands  of  men  and  horses,  stood  perplexed  before 
this  intensely  silent  town. 

The  east  Avas  flaming  redly  over  the  ocean  waves.  The 
Indians  could  see  the  long  line  of  battlements  black  against 
the  clear  crimson  sky.  No  wind  blew  across  the  desert, 
and  the  great  banner  of  the  opal  hung  motionless  from  its 
tall  staff.  Suddenly,  in  the  red  sky,  a  yellow  beam  shot 
up  into  the  cold  blue  of  the  zenith;  another  and  another 
followed,  spreading  like  a  gigantic  fan.  The  savages 
threw  themselves  on  their  knees,  and  held  up  their  hands 
in  supplication  to  the  great  deity  who  was  even  now  being 
invoked  with  sacrifice  in  the  hidden  town  of  Totatzine. 

The  gold  of  the  sky  seemed  to  boil  up  behind  the  walls 
of  the  town,  as  though  it  would  run  over  in  yellow  streams. 
Then  the  dazzling  orb  appeared,  and  fierce  arrows  shot 
across  the  green  suburbs  to  the  sandy  desert,  where  those 
thousands  of  naked  Indians  were  kneeling.  Suddenly  a 
man  started  in  surprise,  and  looked  inquiringly  at  his 
companions.  They  listened  as  he  had  done,  and  also 
looked  astonished.  In  a  miraculously  short  space  of  time 
the  whole  host  was  in  a  state  of  commotion.  Those  in 
front  stood  still  in  a  listening  attitude,  those  behind 
pressed  forward  to  hear  this  miracle  which  had  startled 
their  companions.  Loud  and  shrill  arose  the  song  from 
the  chapel  of  Pudre  Ignatius.  It  was  the  hymn  of  the 
opal  daily  chanted  by  the  priests  of  Huitzilopochtli  in 
the  city  of  Totatzine. 

The  chiefs  hastily  gathered  together,  and  consulted  is 


366  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

to  the  meaning  of  this  prodigy.  Never  before  had  the 
sacred  song  been  heard  beyond  the  shrine  of  the  sacred 
city,  and  now  its  music  was  thrilling  through  the  still 
morning  air  under  the  very  walls  of  the  capital.  The 
mystery  must  be  solved  at  any  cost,  and  commanding  their 
warriors  to  await  in  the  camp,  all  five  chiefs,  the  leaders 
of  the  hosts,  flung  themselves  on  their  horses  and  galloped 
bravely  up  to  the  chapel.  It  was  a  dangerous  thing  to  do, 
for  at  any  moment  those  terrible  guns  might  vomit  forth 
fire  and  death;  but  the  chiefs  did  not  care.  Fanaticism, 
dread  of  the  gods,  was  their  most  powerful  characteristic, 
and  dismounting  from  their  horses,  they  entered  the  door 
of  the  chapel  whence  the  chant  of  the  opal  proceeded. 

At  the  entrance  they  stood  transfixed  with  surprise,  and 
for  the  moment  deemed  they  were  in  the  shrine  of  the  opal 
at  Totatzine.  Half-veiled  by  clouds  of  white  smoke  rolling 
upward  from  a  small  altar,  they  could  see  the  terrible 
features  of  Huitzilopochtli  in  all  his  blood-stained  glory. 
The  mats  of  feather- work  hung  glittering  from  the  walls; 
they  marked  the  grotesque  visages  of  their  deities  scowling 
from  pictured  walls,  and  behind  the  altar  the  hidden  min- 
strel chanted  the  hymn  of  the  opal. 

The  opal!  There  it  hung  in  the  center  of  the  white 
smoke.  A  ray  of  golden  light,  like  a  finger  from  heaven, 
smote  it  with  terrible  glory.  It  was  turning  rapidly,  as 
they  had  seen  it  in  the  temple  of  the  god  at  Totatzine. 

"Chalchuih  Tlatonac! "  they  cried,  and  all  five  pros- 
trated themselves  before  the  sacred  gem.  High  and  shrill 
rang  out  the  song  from  the  hidden  singer,  and  the  chiefs, 
with  reverential  awe,  watched  the  spinning  opal.  Eed, 
yellow,  blue,  green,  the  rays  flashed  out  jets  of  many-colored 
fire  every  second.  It  began  to  revolve  more  slowly. 
Slower  and  slower!  A  pause!  It  hung  motionless,  and  a 
ray  of  azure  shone  benignly  from  its  breast. 

The  song  ceased,  and  a  tall  man  arrayed  in  white  gar- 
ments came  from  behind  the  shrine,  holding  a  blue  cloak 
full  length  in  his  arms.  This  was  the  ritual  prescribed  at 
the  shrine  of  Huitzilopochtli  when  the  god  spoke  through 
the  opal. 

"  The  god  proclaims  peace!  " 

His  voice  broke  the  spell.  The  Indians  dashed  forward 
and  strove  to  seize  him,  but  he  eluded  their  grip  apd 
vanished. 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  OPAL.  367 

"Peace!  Peace!  Peace  I"  they  heard  him  cry  three 
times.  Their  attention  was  fixed  on  the  opal,  and  they 
did  not  pursue  him. 

"The  sacred  stone!"  cried  the  supreme  chief.  "We 
must  bear  it  back  to  the  shrine  of  the  god.  Forgive  us, 
oh,  holy  one!" 

He  snapped  the  stone  off  the  string,  and  darted  out  of 
the  door,  followed  by  his  four  companions.  At  the  door 
an  old  Indian,  now  divested  of  his  sacerdotal  garments, 
met  them,  and  rushed  on  their  principal  with  a  cry  of 
anger. 

"  The  opal!     Give  me  back  the  sacred  gem!  " 

"  Cocom!"  cried  the  chief,  raising  his  tomahawk.  "It 
was  thee  who  thieved  the  gem!  Die!  vile  wretch  who 
desecrated  the  shrine  of  the  god." 

His  companions  restrained  his  wrath.  The  fear  of  the 
opal  was  on  them. 

"Nay,  Tezuco.  The  god  says  peace!  The  stone  burns 
blue  rays." 

"Bind  him,  then,  and  we  will  take  him  to  Totatzine, 
there  to  be  sacrificed  on  the  altar  of  the  offended  god/' 

"  In  a  moment  Cocom,  in  spite  of  his  struggles,  was 
thrown  across  the  back  of  the  horse  of  one  of  the  chiefs, 
and  they  all  rode  off  rapidly  toward  the  camp.  In  the 
center  of  the  throng,  Tezuco  halted  and  held  up  his 
hand.  Therein  flashed  the  opal,  and  a  cry  of  delight 
arose  from  the  host,  who  in  a  moment  recognized  the  gem, 
and  at  once  prostrated  themselves  before  its  glory. 

"Children  of  the  war-god,  this  hath  been  given  to  us 
again.  We  saw  the  stone  revolve,  we  saw  it  stay.  Blue 
was  the  ray  of  the  gem.  Blue,  my  children,  is  the  sign  of 
peace.  Huitzilopochtli,  the  lord  of  war,  is  appeased.  He 
proclaims  peace.  No  longer  wait  we  here.  To  Totat- 
zine ! " 

"To  Totatzine!"  roared  the  vast  host,  and,  at  a  signal, 
rushed  for  their  horses.  War,  plunder,  Xuarez,  all  was 
forgotten.  The  blue  ray  of  the  opal  proclaimed  peace, 
and  this  vast  host,  laying  down  its  arms,  departed  at  the 
bidding  of  the  god. 

The  townspeople  on  the  walls  of  the  city  saw  with 
amazement  the  Indians  suddenly,  without  any  apparent 
reason,  strike  their  camp  and  file  off  in  long  lines  toward 


368  THE   HABLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

the  north.  Astonished  at  the  sight,  Don  Sebastian  sent 
off  a  message  to  the  President.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
he  arrived  at  the  Puerta  de  la  Culebra,  followed  by  Jack 
and  Tim. 

"Behold,  Senor!"  cried  Jack,  triumphantly,  pointing 
to  the  myriads  tramping  across  the  plain.  "Did  I  not 
speak  truly?  The  opal  has  done  its  work." 

"  The  opal!  The  opal!  "  murmured  those  around  him, 
and  the  cry  being  caught  up  by  the  populace  passed  from 
one  mouth  to  another.  The  crowd  on  the  walls,  seeing  in 
the  departure  of  the  Indians  the  influence  of  the  opal, 
began  to  cry  out  madly.  They  deemed  that  the  opal  was 
still  within  the  walls  of  Tlatonac. 

"Viva  el  opale!    El  Chalchuih  Tlatonac! " 

"Bueno!"said  Maraquando,  with  satisfaction,  shaking 
Jack  by  the  hand;  "you  were  right,  Senor.  The  Indians 
will  give  us  no  more  trouble.  Now  we  can  crush  Xuarez 
in  the  south.  Senor  de  Ahumada,  open  the  gates \" 

In  a  few  moments  His  Excellency,  followed  by  Jack, 
Tim,  and  Don  Sebastian,  was  galloping  in  the  direction  of 
the  chapel.  They  reached  it,  dismounted,  and  entered. 
The  opal  was  gone,  and  Cocom  also. 

"  I  knew  we  would  lose  the  opal/'  said  Jack,  cheerfully; 
"  but  I  thought  they  would  kill  Cocom.  Fortunately  they 
have  only  taken  him  prisoner." 

"To  reserve  him  fora  more  cruel  death  in  Totatzine, 
Senor,"  replied  Maraquando,  his  delight  slightly  damped. 
"He  has  served  the  Republic  well.  I  would  he  could 
have  been  saved." 

"Poor  devil!"  murmured  Tim,  in  English,  as  they 
remounted  their  horses.  "In  any  case,  Jack,  his  death 
has  saved  the  Republic.  Now  the  savages  have  gone  away, 
it  won't  be  difficult  to  thrash  Don  Hypolito." 

At  the  city  gates  a  new  surprise  awaited  them.  Don 
Rafael,  mounted  on  a  mustang,  came  galloping  through 
the  gate,  and  reined  up  his  steed  in  front  of  his  astonished 
father. 

"  My  father!  Great  news;  good  news!  I  have  just 
returned  in  The  Montezuma.  We  have  captured  The 
Cortes  and  the  transports." 

Don  Miguel  looked  incredulous.  This  news,  coming 
after  the  departure  of  the  Indians,  seemed  too  good  to  be 
true. 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  OPAL.  369 

"  It  is  true,  my  father,"  said  Eafael,  proudly.  "  By 
noon  to-day  you  will  see  them  in  the  harbor.  Now  Don 
Hypolito  has  no  fleet." 

"  Hurrah ! "  cried  Jack,  tossing  his  hat  in  the  air.  "  The 
luck  of  the  opal ! " 

Those  near  repeated  his  exclamation.  It  swelled  into  a 
roar,  and  throughout  Tlatonac  only  one  cry  could  be  heard, 
"Viva  el  opale." 


CHAPTEK  XXXII. 

UNDER  THE   OPAL  FLAG. 

Marching  away,  joyous  and  gay, 

Rank  upon  rank,  with  a  splendid  display, 

Leaving  the  city  at  breaking  of  day. 

Riding  along,  gallant  and  strong, 
Round  us  the  populace  tearfully  throng, 
Greeting  our  going  with  patriot's  song. 

Under  our  feet,  flower-buds  sweet 

Tread  we  in  marching  through  plaza  and  street; 

Never  our  kinsfolk  again  may  we  meet. 

Laurels  to  earn,  foemen  to  spurn, 
Only  for  glory  we  anxiously  yearn; 
Conquerors  all  we  will  hither  return. 

"Juan,"  said  Dolores,  seriously,  "I  believe  the  opal 
brought  us  bad  fortune.  While  it  was  in  the  city,  Janjalla 
fell,  Don  Francisco  died,  and  all  went  wrong.  Now  it  is 
lost,  the  Indians  have  departed,  the  fleet  of  Xuarez  is 
destroyed,  and  everything  promises  well  for  the  future." 

"  That  is  true  in  one  sense,  yet  wrong  in  another," 
replied  Jack,  smiling.  "  You  must  not  forget  that  it  was 
through  the  opal  the  Indians  departed,  and  while  it  was  in 
Tlatonac  The  Pizarro  was  sunk  and  the  two  other  war- 
ships captured. '} 

"  I  suppose  never  again  will  I  behold  the  opal,  Juauito?  " 

"Not  unless  you  care  to  pay  a  second  visit  to  Totat- 
zine." 

Dolores  shuddered.  The  memory  of  their  peril  in  the 
hidden  city  was  a  painful  one.  Recent  events  had  not 
obliterated  the  recollection  of  that  terrible  journey  to  the 
coast  through  the  tropic  forest. 

"  I  would  certainly  not  care  about  seeing  Totatzine 
again,  querido.  And  yet  I  would — if  only  to  save 
Cocom!" 

(370) 


UKDER  THE  OPAL  FLAG.  371 

1 '  It  is  impossible  to  save  Cocom,"  responded  Jack,  a 
trifle  sadly.  "  The  only  way  to  do  so  would  be  to  lead  an 
army  to  the  hidden  city  and  rescue  him.  But  how  can 
such  a  thing  be  done  by  that  narrow,  secret  way?  Our 
soldiers  would  be  cut  to  pieces  in  those  rocky  defiles." 

"  There  is  no  other  way,  I  suppose?" 

"  I  am  not  sure,  Dolores.  That  canon  leads  to  the 
outer  world.  If  we  could  only  enter  the  valley  where 
Totatzine  is  built  by  that  way,  we  might  succeed  in  crush- 
ing the  city;  but  I  am  afraid  such  an  entrance  will  never 
be  discovered." 

"  Ay  di  mi!     Then  poor  Cocom  is  lost." 

"  It  is  his  own  fault,  querida.  I  tried  to  save  him;  but 
he  refused  to  obey  my  orders.  Still,  there  is  one  chance  of 
aiding  him,  though  I  am  afraid  but  a  faint  one/' 

"  And  that,  my  Juan?" 

"  Listen,  angelito!  The  sacrifice  of  the  cycle  does  not 
take  place  for  two  months.  I  have  escaped  it,  but  Cocom 
may  now  be  selected  by  Ixtlilxochitli  as  the  victim.  If  we 
can  crush  Xuarez  and  finish  the  war  within  the  next  few 
weeks,  it  may  be  that  we  can  march  troops  to  the  sacred 
city  and  save  his  life." 

"But  how  can  you  get  to  the  city — by  the  secret  way?" 

"No;  by  the  canon  road.  See,  Dolores!  I  have  an 
idea." 

They  were  sitting  on  the  azotea,  two  days  after  the 
Indians  had  retreated  from  Tlatonac.  Eafael  had  just  left 
them,  full  of  glee  at  the  proposed  expedition  to '  Janjalla, 
and  it  was  then  that  Dolores  had  made  the  remark  about 
the  opal  which  led  to  the  conversation  regarding  Cocom, 
Totatzine,  and  the  canon  road. 

In  her  lap  Dolores  had  a  pile  of  flowers  which  she  was 
arranging  for  the  use  of  the  house.  Jack  took  a  handful 
of  these,  and  kneeling  down  on  the  floor  of  the  azotea,  pro- 
ceeded to  illustrate  his  theory  by  constructing  a  map  with 
the  blossoms. 

"Behold,  my  own,"  he  said,  deftly  placing  a  bud  here 
and  there,  "this  rose  is  Totatzine,  situate  fifty  miles  from 
the  coast  in  a  straight  line.  Here  is  Tlatonac,  indicated  by 
this  scarlet  verbena.  From  the  point  where  we  embarked 
in  the  canoe  to  the  capital  is  twenty  miles." 

"  I  understand,"  said  Dolores,  much  interested  in  this 
explanation. 


372  THE  HARLEQUIH  OPAL. 

"  From  Totatzine  to  the  point  where  we  embarked,  and 
from  thence  to  Tlatonac,  is  what  we  call  a  right  angle. 
Now,  if  I  draw  a  straight  line  from  the  capital  in  a  slant- 
ing direction,  you  can  see  that  it  passes  through 
Totatzine. " 

"  I  see  that,  querido!  but  the  third  line  is  longer  than 
the  other  two." 

"  It  is  longer  than  each  of  the  other  two  lines  if  you 
take  them  separately;  shorter  if  you  take  them  together. 
You  do  not  know  Euclid,  Dolores,  else  you  would  discover 
that  any  two  sides  of  a  triangle  are  together  greater  than 
the  third  side." 

"  Wait  a  moment,  Juanito ! "  exclaimed  Dolores,  viva- 
ciously. "From  Totatzine  to  the  point  where  we  embarked 
is  fifty  miles,  from  thence  to  Tlatonac  twenty  miles — in  all, 
seventy  miles.  But  by  your  reasoning  this  third  line  is  not 
seventy  miles." 

"  Of  course  not!  Still  I  believe  it  is  quite  seventy  miles 
from  Tlatonac  to  Totatzine  by  this  new  way." 

"How  so?" 

"  Because  we  can  not  go  thither  in  a  straight  line.  If  we 
went  by  this  one  I  have  drawn,  the  distance  would  be  much 
shorter  than  by  the  secret  way  of  the  sea.  But  as  we  have 
to  follow  the  railway  it  is  a  longer  journey,  quite  seventy 
miles.  See!  This  is  Cuavaca,  at  the  foot  of  Xicotencatl, 
thirty  miles  from  Tlatonac;  from  Cuavaca  to  the  terminus 
of  the  railway  it  is  twenty  miles;  from  thence  to  Totatzine 
possibly  another  twenty — in  all,  thirty  miles.  So  you  see 
that  the  distance  each  way,  owing  to  the  configuration  of 
the  country,  is  precisely  the  same." 

"Yes;  but  what  of  that?" 

"Can  you  not  see?  At  the  point  where  the  railway 
stops  it  is  only  twenty  miles  to  Totatzine.  Now  if,  as  I 
suspect,  there  is  a  road  leading  up  the  canon  to  the  city, 
the  distance  from  the  termination  of  the  railway  works  to 
that  road  can  not  be  very  far.  If,  therefore,  we  discover  the 
hidden  road,  we  can  take  our  troops  up  by  rail,  march  the 
rest  of  the  distance,  and  enter  Totatzine  through  the  mouth 
of  the  canon." 

"Oh!"  cried  Dolores,  astonished  at  this  idea.  "And 
you  propose  to  attempt  this  entrance  ?  " 

"  If  it  can  be  found.     Unfortunately  Cocom  is  the  only 


UN"DER  THE   OPAL   FLAG.  373 

who  could  supply  such  information,  and  he  is  a 
prisoner  to  Ixtlilxochitli." 

"  But  if  he  knew  of  this  canon  road,  why  did  he  not  lead 
us  by  that  way  instead  of  toward  the  coast?" 

"You  forget  the  whole  country  is  overrun  by  Indians. 
We  could  not  have  disguised  ourselves  as  pilgrims  had  we 
gone  by  the  canon  road.  That  is  evidently  the  secular 
path.  The  other  way  to  the  coast  is  sacred." 

"It  might  be  done,  Juanito." 

"Yes;  but  it  can  not  be  done  till  Xuarez  is  conquered 
and  the  war  is  ended." 

"  Santissima!"  sighed  Dolores,  sadly:  "and  when  will 
that  be?" 

"Very  shortly.  Now  we  have  succeeded  in  getting  rid 
of  the  Indians,  we  shall  be  able  to  crush  Xuarez  at  one 
blow." 

"  When  do  you  march  south?  " 

"  To-morrow  at  the  latest." 

"Will  Sefior  Felipe  be  back?" 

"  No,  I  am  afraid  not.  In  three  days  I  expect  the  yacht 
will  return.  By  that  time  who  knows  but  what  we  may 
have  conquered  the  rebels?" 

Shortly  afterward  this  conversation  came  to  an  abrupt 
conclusion,  as  Don  Miguel  sent  a  special  messenger  to  call 
Jack  to  the  Palacio  Nacional.  In  those  days  Jack  was  a 
very  important  personage.  Maraquando  was  so  impressed 
by  the  way  in  which  the  Indians  had  been  dealt  with  that 
he  entertained  a  higher  opinion  than  ever  of  D aval's  capa- 
bilities, and  frequently  appealed  to  him  for  advice.  Nor 
did  this  create  any  jealousy,  for  the  Cholacacans  were  now 
beginning  to  regard  Duval  as  one  of  themselves.  He  was 
going  to  marry  the  niece  of  their  President;  he  was  the 
engineer  who  had  constructed  the  railway;  he  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  future  of  the  Republic;  so  it  was  generally 
supposed  that  when  the  war  was  at  an  end  he  would  be 
naturalized  a  citizen  of  Cholacaca,  and  take  up  his  abode 
there  altogether.  A  clever,  brilliant  young  man  like  Jack 
was  a  distinct  acquisition  to  the  country,  and  the  liberal- 
minded  Cholacacans  welcomed  him  accordingly. 

From  the  deepest  despair  the  city  had  passed  into  a 
state  of  great  elation.  With  the  death  of  Gomez,  all  the 
bad  fortune  of  the  Republic  seemed  to  have  vanished. 
24 


374  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

Since  Maraquando  had  seated  himself  in  the  presidential 
chair,  all  had  gone  well,  and  the  superstitious  Tlatona- 
cians  looked  upon  him  as  a  ruler  likely  to  bring  good 
fortune  to  the  Eepublic.  Nor  was  such  a  belief  to  be  won- 
dered at,  seeing  how  suddenly  the  tide  of  fortune  had 
turned  within  the  last  few  days  in  favor  of  the  Govern- 
mental party. 

The  Indians  had  departed,  and  thus  was  Don  Hypolito 
deprived  at  one  swoop  of  half  his  power.  The  Cortes, 
menaced  by  the  The  Columbus,  The  Jturbide,  and  the  tor- 
pederas,  had  surrendered,  and  now,  with  the  transports,  was 
lying  in  the  harbor  of  the  capital.  Xuarez,  by  the  loss  of 
his  fleet,  was  cut  off  completely  from  the  north,  and  shut 
up  in  Janjalla  with  but  six  thousand  troops. 

After  these  events  had  transpired,  the  Junta  met  in  the 
hall  of  the  Palacio  Nacional  to  map  out  the  coming  cam- 
paign. The  whole  of  the  members  were  on  the  side  of 
Maraquando.  Before  the  peril  which  threatened  the 
Republic  in  the  south  all  party  differences  had  disap- 
peared, and  the  representatives  of  the  several  provinces 
united  in  upholding  the  policy  of  Don  Miguel.  This 
judicious  unity  was  the  salvation  of  the  Republic. 

The  capital  was  garrisoned  by  ten  thousand  troops, 
plentifully  supplied  with  cannon,  ammunition,  and  rifles. 
This  force  was  under  the  command  of  General  Benito,  who 
had  been  elevated  to  the  command  after  the  death  of  the 
ill-fated  Gigedo  at  Janjalla.  The  troops  were  in  a  great 
state  of  excitement,  as  it  was  well  known  that  they  were 
no  longer  to  be  held  back  within  the  walls  of  the  capital. 
Maraquando  had  decided  to  throw  forward  nine  thousand 
men  as  far  as  Centeotl,  and  leaving  one  thousand  to 
defend  Tlatonac,  try  conclusions  with  the  rebels  in  the 
open  plains. 

At  the  second  conference  of  the  Junta  this  decision  was 
somewhat  modified  by  the  advice  of  Benito.  That  astute 
commander  pointed  out  that  in  Janjalla  lay  the  strength 
of  Xuarez.  If  he  was  defeated  at  Centeotl,  he  could  fall 
back  on  the  southern  capital,  whereas,  if  that  was  in  the 
power  of  the  Government,  he  would  have  no  chance  of 
retreat,  and  be  thus  crushed  at  one  blow.  The  main 
thing,  therefore,  was  to  capture  Janjalla,  and  deprive  the 
rebels  of  this  last  refuge  in  case  of  defeat. 


UNDER   THE   OPAL   FLAG.  375 

It  was  Rafael  who  supported  the  General,  and  proposed 
a  plan  by  which  the  southern  city  could  be  taken. 

"Senores,"  cried  Rafael,  vehemently,  "what  General 
Benito  says  is  true.  We  must  leave  Xuarez  no  refuge. 
He  mast  be  crushed  between  our  armies  in  the  north  and 
south.  Behold,  Seilores,  in  the  harbor  of  our  city  lie  two 
war-ships  taken  from  the  enemy,  now  manned  by  faithful 
sailors  of  the  Junta.  Also  the  armed  cruiser  IturMde, 
and  the  two  torpedo-boats  Zuloaga  and  Montezuma,  one  of 
which  I  have  the  honor  of  commanding.  Give  us, 
Sefiores,  the  order  to  steam  south.  Put  two  thousand 
troops  on  board  the  transports.  Then  we  will  lie  in  the 
harbor  of  Janjalla  and  bombard  the  town.  As  Don 
Hypolito  has  probably  gone  north  with  the  bulk  of  his 
army  to  Centeotl,  the  town  will  be  ill  defended.  In  the 
end  it  must  surrender,  and  then  we  can  land  our  troops 
and  push  forward  to  gain  the  rear  of  the  rebels.  From 
the  north,  Seiiores,  six  thousand  men  will  march  under 
the  command  of  General  Benito.  Thus  Xuarez  will  find 
himself  between  two  armies,  and  be  forced  to  surrender  or 
submit  to  be  cut  to  pieces.  The  rebels  will  be  defeated 
and  the  war  will  be  ended/' 

This  proposition  commended  itself  to  the  Junta,  and 
was  ultimately  adopted.  At  once  the  fleet,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Pedraza,  was  sent  south,  with 
instructions  to  bombard  and  capture  Janjalla;  then  to 
lead  the  troops  and  push  forward  to  effect  a  conjunction 
with  General  Benito  at  Centeotl.  The  war-ships,  the 
cruiser,  torpederas,  and  transports  left  the  harbor  of  the 
capital  that  afternoon  amid  great  excitement,  and  then 
the  populace  rolled  from  sea-gate  to  land-gate  in  order  to 
witness  the  departure  of  the  army  for  the  south. 

As  yet  The  Bohemian  had  not  returned  from  Truxillo,  a 
delay  which  vexed  Tim  mightily,  as  he  Avanted  to  send  the 
boat  off  again  with  fresh  dispatches.  Besides,  he  knew 
that  Philip  would  be  annoyed  at  missing  the  battle  which 
was  to  decide  the  fate  of  the  war.  When  he  had  left  for 
Truxillo,  there  had  been  no  chance  of  the  loyalists  and 
rebels  meeting  in  open  battle;  but  of  late  events  had  devel- 
oped so  rapidly  that  it  was  impossible  to  delay  matters 
further.  The  army  was  marching  for  Centeotl,  and  Philip 
was  absent  at  Truxillo. 


376  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

Only  one  person  was  pleased  at  this.  Eulalia  was  afraid 
of  losing  her  lover  in  what  promised  to  be  a  terribly  san- 
guinary affair,  and  was  therefore  pleased  that  he  was  out 
of  danger.  She  had  not  the  Spartan  spirit  of  her  cousin, 
who,  though  downcast  at  the  prospect  of  being  separated 
from  Jack,  yet  bade  him  march  forward  with  the  army  to 
conquer  the  rebels,  and  made  no  attempt  to  detain  him  by 
her  side. 

Two  thousand  infantry  had  embarked  on  board  the 
transports  for  Janjalla,  and  now  the  army,  consisting  of 
five  thousand  foot  and  two  thousand  horse,  left  for  the 
front  by  the  Puerta  de  la  Culebra.  Maraquando  was  nomi- 
nally commander-in-chief  of  the  forces,  but  his  presence 
being  required  at  Tlatonac,  he  left  the  conduct  of  the  cam- 
paign to  General  Benito.  The  army  of  Janjalla,  proceed- 
ing thither  by  sea,  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Palo,  and 
he  was  directed,  when  the  southern  city  was  captured,  to 
march  to  Centeotl,  and  effect,  if  possible,  a  junction  with 
the  troops  from  the  north.  There  were  also  forty^  field- 
guns  and  a  battery  of  gatlings,  with  a  corps  of  engineers. 
Thus  provided,  the  army  of  the  Government  deemed  itself 
invincible. 

When  they  set  out,  Maraquando  solemnly  delivered  to 
Benito  the  great  standard  of  the  opal,  which  had  never 
before  left  the  walls  of  the  capital.  Now,  in  all  its  splen- 
dor, it  floated  over  the  heads  of  the  soldiers,  a  shining  star, 
with  its  glitter  of  feather- work  and  jewels,  leading  them 
south  to  victory.  "With  that  standard  the  army  could 
scarcely  conceive  that  there  was  any  chance  of  defeat. 

All  signs  of  the  Indians  had  disappeared.  There  was  no 
doubt  that,  obeying  the  opal,  they  had  retired  to  the 
sacred  city,  and  there  delivered  the  recovered  treasure  to 
the  high  priest.  Doubtless  Ixtlilxochitli,  still  desirous  of 
aiding  Xuarez,  would  stir  them  up  to  war;  but  before  they 
could  again  emerge  from  the  forests,  General  Benito 
hoped  to  cut  the  army  of  Don  Hypolito  to  pieces,  reduce 
the  south  to  order,  and  then,  marching  north,  defeat  the 
savage  forces  under  the  walls  of  the  capital.  The  great 
strength  of  the  Republic  lay  in  the  fact  that  by  strategy 
they  had  succeeded  in  isolating  Xuarez  in  the  south. 
Owing  to  the  loss  of  his  fleet,  he  could  no  longer  depend 
upon  help  from  Acauhtzin,  and  now  that  his  Indian 


UNDER  THE   OPAL   PLAO.  377 

had  deserted  him,  he  was  forced  to  meet  the  royalist  forces 
with  a  comparatively  small  army. 

On  Monday  afternoon  the  transports,  filled  with  troops 
and  convoyed  by  the  war-ships,  left  for  Janjalla,  and  at 
dawn  on  Wednesday  the  army  began  to  march  out  of  the 
Puerta  de  la  Culebra  on  its  way  to  the  south.  Jack  took 
a  fond  farewell  of  Dolores,  and  soothed  her  with  promises 
of  his  speedy  return.  Don  Miguel,  with  some  members  of 
the  Junta,  accompanied  Benito  some  miles  on  his  way, 
and  then  returned  to  the  capital  to  wait  the  upshot  of  this 
bold  attempt  to  end  the  war  at  a  single  blow. 

From  Tlatonac  the  army  marched  to  Chichimec,  which 
they  found  in  ruins.  Hardly  a  soul  was  left  in  the  town, 
for  those  who  survived  the  massacre  had  fled  southward  to 
Puebla  de  los  Naranjos.  It  was  true  that  there,  also,  they 
would  find  but  ruins.  This  they  did  not  know,  as  the  tel- 
egraph-wires had  been  cut  by  the  Indians;  and  as  those 
savages  were  between  Chichimec  and  the  capital,  the 
unfortunate  townspeople  were  only  able  to  escape  south- 
ward. 

Leaving  Chichimec,  Benito  marched  to  Puebla  de  los 
Naranjos,  and  there  found  a  considerable  number  of  fugi- 
tives from  the  former  city.  He  was  informed  that  Cen- 
teotl  still  held  out  against  the  rebels,  though  Xuarez  was 
besieging  it  hotly,  and  that  Hermanita  was  untouched  by 
either  savage  or  rebel.  This  news  was  very  comforting, 
and,  desirous  of  reaching  that  town  by  nightfall,  the  Gen- 
eral pushed  forward  his  troops  by  forced  marches.  By 
eight  o'clock  the  army  came  in  sight  of  Hermanita,  and 
was  joyfully  greeted  by  its  citizens,  who  threw  open  their 
gates  to  receive  those  whom  they  justly  regarded  as  their 
deliverers.  That  night  the  troops  occupied  the  town. 

Centeotl  was  but  twenty  miles  farther  on,  and  Benito 
was  desirous  of  ascertaining  the  position  of  Xuarez  before 
venturing  to  give  battle.  He  sent  out  Indian  spies,  and 
these  speedily  brought  reports  as  to  the  numerical  strength 
of  the  rebels.  It  appeared  that  Xuarez  had  in  all  about 
seven  thousand  troops,  as  he  had  been  joined  by  several  of 
the  smaller  towns  of  the  Eepublic.  He  had  left  but  five 
hundred  to  garrison  Janjalla,  never  for  a  moment  dream- 
ing that,  guarded  as  was  the  town  by  The  Cortes,  it  would 
be  attacked  by  the  loyalists  from  the  sea.  Now,  having 


378  THE  HARLEQUIK   OPAL. 

lost  his  sole  remaining  war-ship,  he  could  not  help  seeing 
that  his  position  was  desperate.  By  his  spies  he  learned 
that  the  army  under  Benito  was  camped  at  Hermanita  and 
that  Janjalla  was  being  bombarded  by  the  fleet  of  the 
Junta. 

At  one  time  he  thought  of  falling  back  on  Janjalla,  con- 
centrating all  his  force  within  its  walls,  and  holding  out 
against  the  loyalists  until  reinforced  by  his  Indian  allies. 
As  yet  he  knew  not  that  they  had  deserted  him  and  with- 
drawn to  their  forests.  Had  he  been  aware  of  his  isolated 
position  he  might  have  come  to  terms  with  the  Junta,  but 
relying  on  the  aid  of  the  savages  and  trusting  to  Ixtlil- 
xochitli's  promises,  he  felt  confident  that  he  would  gain  a 
victory.  As  Janjalla  was  being  bombarded  by  the  war-ships, 
he  decided  not  to  fall  back  there,  as  he  would  but  expose  his 
troops  to  a  double  danger — the  land  army  of  Benito  and 
the  bombs  from  the  sea. 

What  he  proposed  to  do  was  to  meet  Benito  at  Centeotl, 
defeat  his  army,  and  then  either  occupy  that  town  and 
hold  out  till  his  allies  came  south,  or  march  north  to  effect 
a  conjunction  with  them  before  the  capital.  As  to  Janjalla, 
he  could  do  nothing  to  relieve  it.  It  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  he  should  keep  his  troops  together,  so  as  to  meet 
the  army  of  the  Republic  under  Benito.  Before  Janjalla 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Junta,  he  hoped  to  conquer  the 
land  forces.  It  was  all  a  chance,  and  he  fully  recognized 
that  his  position  was  most  perilous.  The  only  hope  he  had 
of  turning  the  tide  of  fortune  in  his  favor  was  to  be  joined 
by  the  Indians  from  the  north. 

The  war-ships  had  left  Tlatonac  on  Monday  afternoon, 
and  General  Benito,  knowing  the  weak  garrison  at  Janjalla, 
calculated  that  the  city  would  succumb  to  the  bombard- 
ment by  Friday  at  the  latest.  It  was  now  the  morning  of 
that  day,  and  he  determined  to  march  his  troops  forward 
to  meet  the  rebel  army.  From  Janjalla,  from  Hermanita 
to  Centeotl,  it  was  but  twenty  miles  each  way;  and  assum- 
ing that  Janjalla  was  captured,  as  there  was  every  reason 
to  believe,  General  Benito  hoped  that  the  two  thousand 
troops  from  the  south  and  his  own  forces  from  the  north 
would  meet  at  Centeotl  about  the  same  time. 

With  this  idea,  he  marched  with  his  full  strength  to 
Centeotl,  for  now  that  the  Indians  had  vanished,  he  had 


UNDER  THE   OPAL  FLAG.  379 

no  fear  of  being  attacked  in  the  rear,  and  if  forced  to 
retreat,  could  fall  back  on  Hermanita,  that  city  being 
defended  by  its  ordinary  garrison.  Don  Hypolito,  so  as 
not  to  expose  his  troops  to  the  double  fire  of  town  and 
plain,  left  the  shelter  of  the  walls  and  occupied  a  low 
range  of  hillocks  running  at  right  angles  from  the  city. 
Between  him  and  Benito  flowed  the  river,  broad  and  slug- 
gish. 

By  noon  the  armies  faced  one  another.     At  one  o'clock 
the  first  shot  was  fired,  and  the  battle  of  Centeotl  began. 


CHAPTEE  XXXIII. 

THE  BATTLE   OF    CENTEOTL. 

The  squadrons  move  across  the  plain, 

Beneath  a  rain 

Of  deadly  missiles  falling,  falling. 

Oh,  could  we  gain 

Those  heights  beyond,  where  guns  are  calling 

Of  deeds  appalling, 

One  to  the  other,  not  in  vain, 

Then  might  we  conquer  in  the  fray, 

And  victors  be  ere  close  of  day. 

The  stream  lying  between  the  two  armies  was  called  the 
Rio  Tardo,  from  its  slow-flowing  current,  and,  emerging 
from  the  interior  mountains,  pursued  its  way  in  many 
windings  to  the  sea.  Centeotl  was  built  on  the  left  bank, 
so  that  the  loyalists  were  unable  to  occupy  the  town  with- 
out crossing  the  river,  and  to  do  so  they  would  have  had  to 
force  a  passage  at  the  point  of  the  sword.  The  battle  took 
place  about  three  miles  from  the  city,  on  a  large  plain 
streaked  here  and  there  with  low  ranges  of  sandy  hills,  and 
intersected  by  the  broad  stream  of  the  Rio  Tardo. 

On  one  of  these  ranges  Don  Hypolito  had  planted  his 
artillery,  and  swept  the  river  with  his  heavy  guns.  He 
also  disposed  his  infantry  along  the  banks,  whence  they 
kept  up  a  regular  fire  of  musketry  on  the  loyalists.  The 
bridge  at  Centeotl  had  been  destroyed  prior  to  the  arrival 
of  Benito,  so  that  there  was  no  way  of  crossing,  save  under 
fire  from  the  foot  soldiers,  or  in  the  teeth  of  the  battery 
posted  on  the  sandy  ridges. 

Behind  this  battery  Xuarez  held  his  cavalry  in  reserve, 
lest  the  loyalists  should  accomplish  the  passage  of  the  river, 
and  the  combatants  come  to  closer  quarters.  Between 
Centeotl  and  the  position  he  had  taken  up,  he  placed  a  line 
of  some  thousand  horse,  with  the  object  of  preventing  an 
attack  by  the  besieged  in  his  rear.  In  the  disposition  of 
his  troops  he  showed  a  wonderful  skill  in  taking  advan- 

(38Q) 


THE   BATTLE   OF   CENTEOTL.  381 

tage  of  the  capabilities  of  the  ground,  and  General  Benito 
saw  plainly  that  it  would  be  with  considerable  difficulty 
that  he  could  effect  a  crossing  of  the  Eio  Tardo. 

On  his  side  there  were  no  ranges  of  hills  upon  which  he 
could  post  his  artillery,  or  by  which  he  could  protect  his 
men.  Nothing  but  a  desolate  plain  covered  with  brush- 
wood, incapable  of  offering  the  least  shelter  against  the 
devastating  fire  of  the  insurgents.  His  only  way  of  cross- 
ing the  river  was  to  silence  the  battery  on  the  sand-hills. 
With  this  object  he  brought  up  his  field-guns  and  opened 
a  heavy  cannonade  on  the  heights  beyond.  The  rebels 
replied,  and  for  over  two  hours  this  cross-fire  went  on  with- 
out intermission  on  either  side.  Benito  trusted  by  this 
gunnery  to  deceive  the  insurgents  as  to  his  real  purpose, 
which  was  to  attempt  a  crossing  with  five  hundred  horse 
three  miles  farther  up  the  stream,  near  the  ruins  of  the 
bridge.  By  doing  so  he  could  take  Xuarez  in  the  rear,  and 
while  the  rebels  were  employed  in  facing  this  new  danger 
from  an  unexpected  quarter,  hoped  to  cross  the  river  with 
his  full  force. 

Don  Hypolito  evidently  suspected  this  stratagem,  for  he 
kept  a  sharp  eye  on  the  disposition  of  the  loyalist  army  in 
the  direction  of  Centeotl.  When  he  saw  a  body  of  horse 
move  cityward  to  effect  a  crossing,  he  at  once  sent  a  troop 
of  cavalry  to  dispute  a  passage.  Benito  seeing  this,  dis- 
patched a  battery  of  six  gatlings  to  support  his  troops, 
trusting  that  under  the  cover  of  these  guns  playing  on  the 
enemy  they  could  ford  the  stream.  At  once  Xuarez 
brought  up  his  field  artillery,  and  in  a  short  space  of  time 
the  cannonading  lower  down  the  river  was  being  repeated 
farther  up  at  the  ruins  of  the  bridge. 

The  right  wing  of  the  loyalist  army,  consisting  entirely 
of  infantry,  was  thrown  forward  in  the  direction  of  Cen- 
teotl, and  kept  up  a  fusillade,  under  cover  of  which  the 
cavalry  in  scattered  groups  tried  to  cross.  The  insurgents, 
however,  could  not  be  dislodged  from  the  opposite  bank, 
and  it  was  impossible  to  accomplish  the  passage  under  their 
persistent  musketry.  For  close  on  three  miles  along  the 
banks  of  the  river  this  line  of  sharpshooters  extended,  and 
at  each  end  of  the  line  artillery  thundered  incessantly. 
Men  on  either  side  were  dropping  every  moment,  and  it 
seemed  as  though  each  army  would  annihilate  the  other 


382  THE  HAELEQUIK  OPAL. 

without  either  crossing  the  stream.  For  four  hours  the 
battle  had  been  raging  without  the  combatants  coming  to 
close  quarters,  and  Xuarez'  soldiers  remaining  ever  on  the 
defensive,  began  to  grow  impatient.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  loyalists,  trying  to  carry  the  passage  of  the  stream  by 
dash  after  dash,  were  warming  up  to  their  work. 

It  would  have  been  madness  for  Don  Hypolito  to  cross 
the  stream,  and  with  his  few  attack  the  many  of  the  loyal- 
ists. The  river  was  his  great  safeguard,  and  so  long  as 
that  interposed  its  waters  between  him  and  the  enemy  he 
felt  comparatively  safe,  trusting  to  hold  his  position  until 
the  arrival  of  the  Indians  from  the  north,  whom  he  counted 
upon  taking  the  enemy  in  the  rear.  He  saw  plainly  that 
his  men  were  growing  weary  of  remaining  solely  on  the 
defensive  and  submitting  to  be  cut  to  pieces  by  the  fire  of 
Benito's  artillery;  but,  until  he  saw  a  prospect  of  being 
reinforced  by  the  Indians,  he  was  powerless  to  do  anything 
but  stubbornly  prevent  the  loyalists  from  fording  the 
stream. 

General  Benito  saw  that  the  rebel  leader  was  unaware  of 
the  disaffection  of  the  allies,  and  relied  on  their  arriving 
shortly  to  turn  the  tide  of  war  in  his  favor.  With  a  vie\v, 
therefore,  to  dishearten  him,  he  ordered  an  Indian  scout 
attached  to  his  staff  to  ford  the  river,  if  possible,  below  the 
battery  point,  present  himself  to  Xuarez  as  a  deserter  from 
the  loyalists,  and  inform  him  that  the  Indians  had  retreated. 
The  scout  at  once  obeyed,  and  attempted  to  swim  the  river, 
but  just  as  he  was  close  on  the  opposite  bank,  a  rifle-shot 
struck  him,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  he 
regained  the  shore.  Several  rebel  soldiers  ran  up  to  finish 
him  with  their  bayonets,  but  he  implored  them  to  take  him 
to  Xuarez,  as  he  was  in  possession  of  certain  facts  relating 
to  the  allies. 

On  being  brought  into  the  presence  of  the  rebel  leader, 
he  had  just  time  to  tell  Don  Hypolito  of  the  uselessness 
of  counting  on  the  Indians,  and  shortly  afterward  expired. 
Xuarez  thought  at  first  it  was  a  device  of  the  loyalists  to 
gain  time,  but  as  hour  after  hour  went  on  and  no  Indians 
appeared,  he  began  to  believe  that  he  was  indeed  foolish  to 
depend  upon  help  from  that  quarter.  The  full  terror  of 
his  position  came  on  him  at  once.  He  saw  that,  deserted 
by  the  Indians,  cut  off  from  Acauhtzin,  the  whole  success 


THE   BATTLE   OF   CENTEOTL.  383 

of  the  rebellion  against  the  Junta  depended  upon  his  cutting 
the  army  of  Benito  to  pieces.  Janjalla  was  behind  him, 
and  he  several  times  thought  of  falling  back  on  that  town, 
but  the  knowledge  that  it  was  being  bombarded  by  the  loy- 
alist fleet  withheld  him  from  committing  such  a  folly. 
Centeotl  was  held  in  the  interests  of  the  Junta.  There 
was  no  chance  of  safety  there,  so  he  saw  that  he  must 
remain  in  his  present  position,  and  either  tire  out  Benito 
by  holding  his  position  stubbornly,  or  dash  across  the  river 
with  the  main  portion  of  his  troops  and  try  the  fortune  of 
war  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight. 

With  characteristic  boldness  he  decided  on  the  latter  of 
these  alternatives,  and  sent  forward  a  thousand  cavalry  to 
cross  the  river  and  carry  the  war  into  the  enemy's  camp. 
Midway  between  the  two  batteries,  which  still  kept  up 
their  fire,  he  brought  fifteen  field-guns  to  bear  on  the 
masses  of  infantry  on  the  other  bank,  armed  only  with 
their  rifles,  hoping  to  cut  them  to  pieces,  and  thus  afford 
his  cavalry  a  safe  landing.  Benito  ordered  five  gatling 
guns  to  silence  the  field  battery,  and  prevent,  if  possible, 
the  landing  of  the  insurgent  cavalry.  Unfortunately,  his 
orders  could  not  be  accomplished  smartly  enough,  and 
before  the  gatlings  could  be  brought  into  position,  the 
field-guns  of  Xuarez  had  opened  a  heavy  fire  on  the 
infantry,  under  cover  of  which  five  hundred  horsemen 
crossed  the  stream.  The  landing  once  effected,  others 
followed,  and  the  cavalry  rode  down  the  infantry  like  sheep, 
while  right  and  left  the  balls  from  the  field-guns  of  Xuarez 
cut  passages  in  the  crowded  masses.  For  the  moment  the 
advantage  was  decidedly  with  Don  Hypolito. 

At  once  a  thousand  cavalry,  held  in  reserve  behind  the 
battery,  were  hurled  forward  on  the  horsemen  of  the  rebels. 
Five  hundred  had  now  crossed  the  stream,  and  there  held 
the  loyalists  at  bay  while  their  comrades  formed.  The 
rebel  regiment  pierced  like  a  wedge  into  the  mass  of 
infantry,  and  met  the  cavalry  of  Benito  some  distance  from 
the  bank  of  the  river.  What  with  these  horsemen  and 
the  incessant  firing  of  the  field-guns  the  infantry  of  Benito 
were  thoroughly  demoralized  and  flying  in  all  directions. 
The  cavalry  of  Xuarez,  with  admirable  discipline,  formed 
into  lines  as  soon  as  they  crossed  the  river,  and  steadily 
drove  the  horsemen  of  the  loyalists  backward. 


384  THE  HARLEQtJIH   OPAL. 

Xuarez  at  once  took  advantage  of  this  gain,  and  behind 
his  cavalry  sent  regiment  after  regiment  of  infantry  with 
orders  to  carry  the  battery  of  Benito  by  storm.  In  vain 
the  foot-soldiers  of  the  loyalists  were  hurled  against  the 
advancing  mass  of  rebel  horse  and  foot  now  marching 
steadily  for  the  battery.  They  did  not  give  way  one  inch. 
Xuarez  hoped  to  capture  the  battery,  turn  the  guns  against 
the  loyalists,  and  then  bring  the  rest  of  his  troops  across 
the  stream. 

This  unexpected  maneuver  had  taken  Benito  by  sur- 
prise, and  there  was  but  little  doubt  that  if  the  battery 
were  captured  a  panic  would  ensue  amongst  his  own  men, 
and  thus  give  Xuarez  a  decided  advantage.  The  columns 
of  rebels  pouring  across  the  stream  pierced  the  host  of 
loyalists  like  a  wedge,  and  bore  steadily  down  on  the 
battery,  which  was  still  under  the  heavy  fire  of  the 
insurgent  artillery  posted  on  the  sand-hills.} 

Things  looked  black  at  that  moment  for  the  loyalist 
army,  but  at  this  critical  juncture  the  troops  of  Benito 
succeeded  in  forcing  the  passage  of  the  stream  farther  up 
near  the  city.  What  the  Oposidores  had  done  in  the 
center  of  the  line  they  did  at  its  end,  and  under  cover  of 
a  heavy  fire  from  their  gatlings,  managed  to  cross  the 
stream  and  capture  the  field-guns  of  the  enemy.  These 
were  at  once  utilized  and  turned  on  the  rebels,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  were  pouring  a  deadly  fire  into  the  masses  of 
cavalry  and  infantry  sent  to  hold  the  bridge  passage  by 
Xuarez.  An  officer  galloped  post-haste  to  Benito,  inform- 
ing him  of  the  crossing  of  the  stream,  and  the  General, 
recognizing  that  he  might  cut  off  the  forces  of  Xuarez  on 
the  left  bank,  sent  to  the  bridge  all  the  soldiers  he  could 
spare,  amounting  to  some  fifteen  hundred. 

Meanwhile  the  cavalry  of  Xuarez,  supported  by  several 
regiments  of  infantry,  were  trying  to  carry  the  battery  of 
the  loyalists  by  storm.  Their  own  artillery  was  now  silent, 
as  so  inextricably  mingled  were  rebels  and  loyalists  round 
the  battery  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  gunners  of 
Xuarez  to  fire  without  cutting  their  own  men  to  pieces. 
The  rebels  were  still  steadily  pouring,  column  after 
column,  across  the  stream  in  the  rear  of  the  cavalry,  when 
suddenly  their  line  was  cut  in  two  by  the  victorious 
loyalists  from  the  bridge. 


THE   BATTLE   OF   CENTEOTL.  385 

These  had  utterly  beaten  the  rebels  defending  the  pas- 
sage by  turning  their  own  guns  on  them,  and  now  the 
latter  were  flying  toward  the  center  of  the  scene  of  opera- 
tions, followed  by  a  scattered  body  of  cavalry,  cutting 
them  down  in  all  directions.  The  loyalist  infantry  quickly 
crossed  the  river  and  followed  in  the  rear  of  the  horsemen, 
but,  being  on  foot,  were  necessarily  far  behind.  The 
rebels  attempted  to  re-form  and  reach  the  point  where 
their  columns  were  fording  the  stream,  but,  flushed  with 
victory,  the  cavalry  of  Benito  passed  clean  through  the 
mass,  cutting  off  all  further  rebels  from  joining  their  com- 
rades on  the  opposite  shore. 

At  the  same  time,  owing  to  the  deadly  fire  of  the  loyalist 
battery,  the  invading  soldiers  of  Xuarez  were  beginning  to 
give  way,  and  slowly  fell  back  inch  by  inch  toward  the 
point  where  they  had  crossed.  They  were  unable  to  get 
back,  however,  as  the  cavalry  of  Benito  held  them  in  check 
on  the  opposite  bank,  and  seeing  this,  the  General  threw 
forward  two  regiments  across  the  stream  farther  up,  where 
the  bank,  owing  to  the  clean  sweep  made  by  his  cavalry, 
was  undefended. 

The  rebels  now  found  themselves  between  two  masses  of 
their  foes,  between  two  fires,  with  nothing  but  the  river 
between.  They  slowly  retreated  before  the  infantry  press- 
ing forward  from  the  direction  of  the  battery,  and  falling 
back  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  found  themselves 
unable  to  cross  in  the  teeth  of  the  loyalist  cavalry  holding 
the  opposite  bank,  while  the  foot-soldiers  behind  fought 
viciously  with  the  rebels.  The  cavalry  and  infantry  of 
Xuarez  thus  caught  became  demoralized,  and  unable  to 
keep  a  firm  front  to  the  loyalists,  broke  up  into  terrified 
masses,  which  were  either  cut  to  pieces  or  forced  into  the 
stream,  where  they  were  shot  down  by  their  enemies  on 
the  opposite  bank. 

It  was  now  close  on  six  o'clock,  and  after  five  hours 
incessant  fighting  the  advantage  was  now  with  the  army  of 
the  Junta.  Benito  held  the  passage  of  the  bridge  near 
Centeotl,  and  from  thence  down  to  the  battery  the  banks 
of  the  stream  on  both  sides  were  held  by  his  own  men. 
The  enemy,  beaten  on  the  right  bank,  were  slowly  falling 
back  on  the  left  and  concentrating  themselves  round  the 
hillocks  on  which  played  the  artillery.  Behind  the  bat- 

25 


386  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

tery  Xuarez  still  held  three  thousand  men  in  reserve,  and 
these  he  brought  forward,  with  the  intention  of  hurling 
them,  in  one  last  effort  of  despair,  against  the  advancing 
masses  of  the  loyalists. 

General  Benito  no  longer  held  back  his  army,  but  in  per- 
son led  his  soldiers  across  the  river  at  all  points.  In  a 
miraculously  short  space  of  time  the  combat  was  transferred 
from  the  right  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Eio  Tardo,  and  the 
whole  force  of  the  loyalists,  with  the  exception  of  the  corps 
of  engineers  attending  to  the  battery,  had  crossed  the  river 
and  were  pressing  forward  to  carry  the  citadel  of  Xuarez  by 
storm. 

What  with  killed  and  wounded  and  prisoners  taken,  the 
number  of  fighting  men  on  either  side  was  terribly  reduced; 
yet,  numerically  speaking,  the  advantage  lay  with  the  loy- 
alists, who  could  oppose  seven  thousand  men  to  four  thou- 
sand on  the  part  of  Xuarez.  Confident  in  his  position  and 
in  the  shelter  afforded  by  the  sand-hills,  Don  Hypolito 
gathered  his  four  thousand  round  the  base  of  his  batteries  and 
played  his  guns  with  deadly  effect  on  the  advancing  masses 
of  the  loyalists  over  the  heads  of  his  own  men.  It  was 
now  a  hand-to-hand  struggle,  and  though  the  loyalists  had 
the  advantage  over  the  rebels  in  numbers,  yet  as  they  were 
unable  to  bring  their  guns  across  the  river,  the  combat  was 
more  or  less  equalized.  The  deadly  fire  from  the  sand- 
hills played  havoc  with  their  ranks,  and  they  were  mowed 
down  in  hundreds.  Having  no  artillery  to  oppose  these 
guns,  and  being  unable  to  silence  them  by  the  battery  on 
the  opposite  bank,  the  only  hope  of  thrashing  the  enemy 
lay  in  carrying  the  sand-hills  by  storm.  This  Benito,  with 
desperate  courage,  now  proceeded  to  do. 

As  yet  Xuarez  had  managed  to  keep  the  loyalists  in 
front,  and  gathering  his  lines  from  the  river-bank  to  some 
distance  into  the  plain,  desperately  resisted  the  attempts  of 
the  attacking  force  to  break  through  and  storm  the  bat- 
tery. To  protect  his  rear  from  the  river-side  he  sent  two 
hundred  cavalry  to  the  back  of  the  sand-hills  to  guard  the 
stream,  lest  any  straggling  parties  of  loyalists  should  cross 
at  that  point  and  assail  him  unexpectedly.  He  was  now 
entirely  on  the  defensive,  and,  unless  he  succeeded  in  put- 
ting the  loyalists  to  flight  with  his  artillery,  saw  not  how 
he  could  hope  to  win  the  victory. 


THE   BATTLE   OF   CENTEOTL.  387 

How  bitterly  did  he  regret  the  desertion  of  the  Indians, 
the  cause  of  which  disaffection  he  could  not  understand. 
With  them  coming  from  the  north  he  might  have  effected 
a  conjunction  by  crossing  the  river  as  he  had  done,  and 
thus  captured  the  battery  of  Beuito.  As  it  was,  however, 
his  soldiers  had  been  beaten  back,  the  loyalists  had  crossed 
the  river,  and  now  his  whole  force  was  concentrated  round 
the  sand-hills  upon  which  was  placed  his  artillery. 

In  his  despair  Don  Hypolito  longed  for  the  darkness,  in 
the  hope  that  under  cover  of  the  night  he  might  be  enabled 
to  fall  back  on  Janjalla.  Long  since  he  would  have  done 
this  but  for  the  timely  information  that  the  town  was 
blockaded  by  the  war-ships  of  the  Junta.  It  seemed  like 
madness  to  retreat  into  such  a  death-trap,  and  yet  if  it 
could  hold  out  against  the  bombardment  until  he  arrived, 
he  would  at  least  have  walls  behind  which  to  fight.  He 
regretted  intensely  that  he  had  not  captured  Centeotl,  and 
thrown  himself  therein  to  defend  himself  against  the 
loyalists.  Surrounded  by  stone  Avails,  he  could  hope  to 
wear  out  the  troops  of  the  Republic,  and  perhaps  destroy 
them  in  detachments,  but  as  it  was  he  had  no  shelter.  His 
whole  front  was  being  assaulted  by  the  loyalists,  and 
behind  he  had  but  his  battery  and  a  possible  chance  of  fall- 
ing back  on  Janjalla  in  the  night-time. 

The  whole  plain  from  Centeotl  to  the  point  of  action 
was  now  in  the  hands  of  the  loyalists,  and  seeing  this 
the  Jefe  Politico  of  the  city  threw  open  the  gates  and 
sent  forward  men  with  provisions  and  wine  to  the  wearied 
troops.  Three  hundred  soldiers  yet  remained  within 
the  walls,  and  these  also  marched  out  to  join  the  army 
of  the  Republic,  -and  attack  Xuarez  in  his  last  posi- 
tion. It  was  now  past  seven  o'clock,  and  the  darkness  was 
rapidly  coming  on.  Don  Hypolito  hoped  that  the  loyalists 
would  withdraw  and  renew  the  combat  next  day.  In  the 
interval,  his  men  could  rest  and  sustain  themselves  with 
food  or  fall  back  at  once  on  Janjalla. 

This  respite,  however,  Benito  declined  to  give.  "While 
the  light  lasted,  he  determined  to  keep  up  the  fight,  and 
if  possible  dislodge  Xuarez  from  his  position  before  the 
morning.  Deeply  did  he  regret  that  he  had  no  electric 
lights,  by  the  glare  of  which  to  conduct  the  battle;  but  as 
it  was,  he  took  advantage  of  the  clear  twilight,  and  pushed 


388  THE  HARLEQUIN"  OPAL. 

forward  his  men  vigorously  in  attempting  to  break  down 
the  stubborn  line  of  defense  offered  by  Don  Hypolito. 

It  is  questionable  how  long  this  state  of  things  would 
have  lasted,  as  the  rebels  obstinately  fought  on,  and, 
though  Benito  hurled  column  after  column  against  them, 
not  one  inch  would  they  yield.  The  artillery  also,  from 
the  heights  above,  was  sweeping  down  his  rearward  troops. 
He  sent  one  thousand  across  the  river  again  to  attempt 
the  rear  of  the  enemy,  under  cover  of  the  fire  of  fifteen 
gatlings,  but  Xuarez  turned  four  heavy  guns  on  the  pas- 
sage of  the  river,  and  stopped  the  crossing  with  ease. 

"Carajo!"  muttered  Benito,  shutting  up  his  glass  in  a 
rage;  "  they  will  hold  out  till  it  is  dark,  and  then  we  must 
stop.  During  the  night  they  will  fall  back  on  Janjalla." 

"And  into  the  hands  of  our  men!"  replied  Jack,  who 
was  standing  beside  the  General.  "  No,  Senor;  Don 
Hypolito  knows  it  is  worse  than  useless  to  retreat  from  his 
present  position.  When  the  morning  dawns,  you  will  find 
him  still  on  those  hills." 

"Bueno!  All  the  same,  Don  Juan,  I  would  like  to 
finish  him  off  to-night." 

"Then  send  scouts  from  Centeotl  to  see  if  our  men  are 
advancing  from  Janjalla." 

"It  might  be  that  the  city  is  not  taken." 

"That  is  true.  On  the  other  hand,  it  might  be  that  the 
city  is." 

Coincidences  occur  in  real  life  as  well  as  in  novels,  and 
here  occurred  a  case  in  point.  Tim,  who  had  been  to 
Centeotl  to  make  inquiries,  galloped  up  to  Benito  at  this 
moment  and  saluted. 

"  General,"  he  said,  rapidly,  "  messengers  have  just 
arrived  from  Janjalla.  The  city  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
Junta,  and  our  troops,  to  the  number  of  two  thousand, 
are  pushing  forward  by  forced  marches." 

"Janjalla  in  our  hands?"  cried  Benito,  joyfully. 
"  Then  Xuarez  has  no  refuge  on  which  to  fall  back." 

The  army  shouted  on  hearing  this  cheering  news,  and 
looked  upon  the  destruction  of  the  rebels  as  a  foregone 
conclusion,  as  indeed  it  was.  Xuarez  heard  the  shouting, 
and  becoming  aware  of  the  cause  by  the  frequent  cries  of 
"Janjalla!"  ground  his  teeth  with  rage,  as  he  saw  how 
fortune  was  against  him. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  CENTEOTL.  389 

"  Senores,"  he  said  to  his  officers,  "  we  are  condemned 
to  stay  here.  There  is  now  no  hope  of  falling  back  on  the 
seaport.  We  can  but  face  the  enemy  and  fight  bravely. 
I  should  have  heard  of  this  fall  before,  as  my  scouts  are 
all  over  the  country  to  Janjalla." 

Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  this  discouraging  news,  he  urged 
his  men  to  fight  bravely,  hoping  that  the  night  would  come 
and  force  the  loyalists  to  withdraw  for  some  hours.  In 
that  time  his  army  could  rest  and  eat,  while  he  himself 
might  think  of  some  plan  by  which  to  circumvent  the  tac- 
tics of  General  Benito.  He  was  quite  ignorant  that  two 
thousand  men  were  marching  from  Janjalla  to  attack  him 
in  the  rear. 

The  last  glimmer  of  the  sunset  had  long  since  died  out 
of  the  sky  and  it  was  now  comparatively  dark.  As  yet  the 
reinforcements  from  Janjalla  had  not  arrived,  and  Benito 
was  almost  on  the  point  of  ceasing  the  fight  till  dawn,  when 
the  moon  arose  in  the  west.  Her  appearance  was  welcomed 
by  him  with  joy,  for  her  light  was  quite  brilliant  enough  to 
enable  the  assaulting  party  to  continue  lighting;  and  inces- 
santly pressing  on  the  wearied  troops  of  Xuarez  seemed 
the  only  chance  of  beating  him  from  the  sand-hills  and 
scattering  his  army.  Don  Hypolito  cursed  the  moon 
audibly,  for  he  saw  that  his  last  chance  of  escaping  in  the 
darkness  was  gone.  Nothing  remained  for  him  but  to  fight 
on  doggedly. 

Then  his  scouts  arrived,  and  he  learned  that  in  an  hour 
two  thousand  men  would  attack  him  in  the  rear.  With  a 
cry  of  rage  he  hurled  his  field-glass  down  the  hill. 

"  Fortune  is  against  me,"  he  muttered,  biting  his  lip 
with  wrath;  "my  star  goes  down  in  blood.  Attacked 
front  and  rear,  I  can  not  hold  out  much  longer." 

Yet  he  was  too  brave  to  give  in,  and  seeing  that  the  town 
of  Centeotl  was  left  defenseless,  as  its  garrison  had  joined 
Benito,  he  hoped  to  make  a  detour  and  throw  himself  with 
his  remaining  troops  into  the  city.  One  thousand  men  he 
could  leave  to  defend  the  battery  and  draw  of!  the  atten- 
tion of  the  loyalists,  and  with  his  remaining  two  thousand 
march  silently  away  to  the  south,  then  make  a  detour  for 
the  city.  Then  the  reinforcements  would  come  up  in  vain, 
for  he  and  his  men  would  have  slipped  away  like  an  eel 
between  the  two  armies.  He  never  thought  of  the  fate  of 

25 


300  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

the  thousand  men  he  was  leaving  behind.  But  at  that 
moment  he  would  have  given  anything  to  gain  time  to 
reconstruct  his  plans,  and  would  have  sacrificed  a  million 
lives  so  that  his  campaign  should  not  end  in  disaster. 

This  mad  scheme  to  occupy  Centeotl  in  the  teeth  of  the 
enemy  was  destined  to  fail  for  lack  of  time.  Before  he 
could  move  a  single  column  toward  the  city,  the  sound  of 
distant  firing  was  heard,  and  the  reinforcements  came  up 
in  the  rear  at  a  quick  trot.  The  whole  force  of  Xuarez 
was  disposed  along  the  front  of  the  battery,  protecting  it 
from  the  assaults  of  Benito's  army.  Undefended  in  the 
rear,  save  for  two  hundred  cavalry  guarding  the  river,  it 
offered  itself  freely  to  the  reinforcements  for  storming. 
Don  Hypolito  brought  round  troops  rapidly  from  the  front 
to  oppose  this  new  danger.  The  cavalry  dashed  recklessly 
between  the  battery  and  the  advancing  infantry  from 
Janjalla.  Three  guns,  with  depressed  muzzles,  rained 
down  shot  on  the  masses  of  infantry.  It  was  all  in  vain. 
The  fresh  troops,  elated  by  the  fall  of  Janjalla  and  the 
crossing  of  the  river  by  General  Benito,  passed  clean  over 
the  thin  line  of  cavalry  drawn  up  to  beat  them  back.  A 
mass  of  men,  obliterating  man  and  horse,  rolled  upward 
toward  the  hastily  formed  lines  of  weary  soldiers  brought 
round  from  the  front  to  protect  the  rear.  These  suc- 
cumbed in  a  few  minutes,  and  the  guns  no  longer  being 
able  to  do  damage  by  reason  of  the  enemy  being  directly 
under  their  muzzles,  the  reinforcements  swarmed  up  the 
slanting  slope  of  the  sand-hills  with  cries  of  victory. 

Benito  heard  those  cries,  and  at  once  guessed  that  the 
troops  from  Janjalla  were  carrying  the  battery  by  storm. 
Hitherto  he  had  been  holding  five  hundred  cavalry  and  two 
thousand  infantry  in  reserve.  These  were  now  brought 
forward  and  hurled  on  the  soldiers  of  Xuarez  massed  at 
the  foot  of  the  sand-hills.  The  rebels  looked  in  front  and 
saw  this  mass  threatening  to  overwhelm  them;  they  looked 
behind,  and  lo!  over  the  brow  of  the  sand-hills  poured  a 
black  crowd  of  men  over  whose  heads  floated  the  yellow 
standard  of  the  Republic.  The  guns  were  silenced,  the 
gunners  bayoneted,  and  the  red  flag  of  Xuarez  dragged 
from  its  pole  at  the  top  of  the  hill.  Xuarez  himself,  sur- 
rounded by  a  ring  of  his  officers,  waved  his  sword  for  a 
moment,  and  then  the  wave  of  men  passed  over  him.  A 


THE   BATTLE   OF    CENTEOTL.  391 

cry  spread  throughout  the  host  of  rebels  that  he  was  lost. 
The  men  at  the  base  of  the  sand-hills,  seeing  the  wave  of 
men  rolling  downward,  lost  heart  and  broke  up  into  scat- 
tered masses.  On  came  the  army  of  Benito,  and  between 
the  two  forces  the  insurgents  crumpled  up  like  paper. 

In  all  directions  they  fled  like  sheep,  and  were  chased 
for  miles  by  the  victorious  Eepublicans.  Benito,  a  merci- 
ful man,  strove  to  restrain  the  zeal  of  his  soldiers.  It  was 
all  in  vain;  they  were  drunken  with  victory,  and  sabered 
and  shot  the  wretched  fugitives  without  mercy .  The  smoke 
hung  heavily  over  the  field  of  battle,  and  when  it  cleared 
away  the  victorious  troops  of  the  Junta  saw  the  great 
standard  of  the  Republic  floating  proudly  in  the  pluce 
lately  occupied  by  the  battery  of  the  enemy. 

Don  Hypolito  had  disappeared;  his  army,  broken  to 
pieces,  was  flying  in  all  directions.  From  the  triumphant 
army  massed  round  the  sand-hills  rose  a  roar  of  joy  which 
made  the  earth  tremble.  The  wind,  which  had  blown 
away  the  smoke,  shook  out  the  folds  of  the  opal  flag,  and 
the  Cholacacans  saluted  the  invincible  banner  with  cheers. 

"  Viva  el  opale!    Viva  el  Republic!  " 


CHAPTEE   XXXIV. 


THE   TRIUMPH    OF   THE   REPUBLIC. 

Mars,  god  of  war, 

Whom  we  abhor, 

Hath  doffed  his  helm 

And  laid  his  lance  and  shield  aside. 

He  will  no  more 

Lay  waste  our  store, 

Nor  overwhelm 

Our  lands  beneath  his  crimson  tide. 

Peace  comes  anon, 

Now  war  hath  gone, 

Her  olive-bough 

Of  gentleness  and  quiet  brings. 

Beneath  her  sway, 

No  deadly  fray 

Can  fright  us  now; 

From  battle-plains  the  harvest  springs. 

Three  weeks  after  that  memorable  victory  at  Centeotl, 
the  city  of  Tlatonac  was  holding  high  festival  in  honor  of 
the  triumphant  Junta.  Every  street  was  illuminated  and 
decorated  with  flowers.  In  the  principal  places  fire-works, 
so  dear  to  the  hearts  of  the  Cholacacans,  were  being  set  off, 
and  the  ships  lying  in  the  harbor  were  brilliant  with  lights. 
The  populace  in  their  gayest  attire  walked  singing  through 
the  streets,  visited  the  pulque -shops,  and  gathered  in 
groups  to  indulge  in  their  national  dances.  Bands  sta- 
tioned in  different  squares  played  the  Opal  Fandango, 
the  March  of  Zuloaga,  and  soldiers,  the  heroes  of  the 
hour,  were  to  be  seen  everywhere,  being  feted  and  caressed 
by  the  grateful  citizens. 

Before  the  Palacio  Nacional  a  dense  crowd  had  collected, 
and  the  place  itself,  brilliantly  lighted  up,  was  occupied  by 
a  gaily  dressed  throng.  His  Excellency  the  President  was 
giving  a  ball  in  honor  of  the  establishment  of  peace.  On 
one  of  the  balconies  Jack  and  Dolores  were  seated,  watch- 

(392) 


THE   TRIUMPH   OF  THE   REPUBLIC.  393 

iug  the  varied  throng  below  and  talking  of  past  events. 
For  the  hundredth  time  Dolores  was  asking  Jack  about  the 
battle  and  all  that  had  taken  place  thereat. 

"I  am  sure,  Dolores,  you  must  be  wearied  of  this  more 
than  twice-told  tale." 

"No,  Juanito!  It  is  a  tale  of  which  I  never  weary. 
Come,  querido,  tell  me  once  more.  Begin,  'After  the 
battle— 

"  After  the  battle,"  repeated  Jack,  humoring  her  fancy. 
"  "Well,  the  first  thing  we  did  after  the  battle  was  to  search 
for  the  body  of  Don  Xuarez.  He  had  been  last  seen  on  the 
summit  of  the  sand-hill  by  his  battery.  When  the  reinforce- 
ments took  that  position  by  storm,  Xuarez  vanished,  and 
though  we  searched  everywhere  for  his  body,  it  could  not 
be  found." 

"  So  then  you  knew  that  he  had  escaped?" 

"It  was  presumed  so;  but  even  now  we  are  not  certain 
as  to  what  has  become  of  him.  However,  he  had  vanished; 
and  giving  up  the  search  for  him,  dead  or  alive,  in  despair, 
General  Benito  left  a  few  hundred  men  to  garrison  Cen- 
teotl,  and  pushed  on  at  once  to  Janjalla.  In  the  harbor 
we  found  the  fleet,  which  had  captured  the  town  by  bom- 
barding it,  and  Captain  Pedraza,  under  instructions  from 
Benito,  took  the  ships  back  to  Tlatonac." 

"  Ah,  I  remember  how  joyful  we  were  Avhen  they  entered 
the  harbor  and  announced  the  victory.  Every  one  in  Tla- 
tonac was  mad  with  joy." 

"Dios!  They  are  mad  enough  to-night,"  said  Jack, 
smiling,  as  he  looked  down  on  the  crowd;  "but  under 
the  circumstances  I  think  it  is  excusable.  The  fall  of 
Acauhtzin,  the  last  stronghold  of  the  Oposidores,  is  worth 
being  excited  about.  Did  Eafael  tell  you  all  about  it, 
Dolores?" 

"Not  so  much  as  he  might  have  done,"  pouted  Dolores, 
unfurling  her  fan;  "but  you  see,  Juan,  there  is  Dona 
Carmencita— 

"Of  course!  Poor  girl!  Fancy  her  father  being  killed 
when  the  city  was  being  bombarded." 

"  A  great  loss,  was  it  not?"  sighed  Dolores,  her  eyes  fill- 
ing with  tears.  Ay  di  mi!  How  sad  would  I  feel  had  I 
lost  my  dear  uncle!" 

"  It  is  the  fortune  of  war,"  said  Jack,  calmly.     "Instead 


394  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

of  our  troops  capturing  Acauhtzin  and  killing  Tejada,  it 
might  have  been  Xuarez  storming  Tlatonac  and  shooting 
Don  Miguel.  One  thing,  at  least,  Dona  Carmencita  has 
been  grateful  for:  Eafael  rescued  her  unharmed  from  the 
burning  city,  and  now  she  is  to  be  his  wife." 

"  And  I  am  to  be  yours! " 

"Yes;  and  Eulalia  is  to  be  Philip's,"  finished  Jack, 
promptly.  "  I  thought  not  that  Don  Miguel  would  ever 
give  his  consent  to  that  marriage." 

"Eh,  Juanito!"  said  Dolores,  with  a  mischievous  smile; 
"  I  think  my  uncle  did  so  to  console  Don  Felipe  for  losing 
his  chance  of  being  at  the  battle." 

"  Poor  Philip!  Only  one  battle  of  any  consequence,  and 
he  missed  it  by  being  away  at  Truxillo." 

At  this  moment  Dolores  was  summoned  away  from  her 
lover  by  Dona  Serafina.  The  old  lady  was  a  very  severe 
duenna  when  not  asleep,  and  as  Dolores  was  not  yet  mar- 
ried, did  not  approve  of  her  being  too  much  in  the  society 
of  her  future  husband.  A  little  jealousy  was  mingled  with 
this  strict  regard  for  etiquette,  as  Dona  Serafina  had 
utterly  failed  to  fascinate  Peter.  All  her  smiles  and  insin- 
uating remarks  had  been  quite  thrown  away  on  the  little 
doctor,  who  showed  no  disposition  for  matrimony,  and 
scrupulously  ignored  the  languishing  looks  of  his  elderly 
admirer.  Finally,  Serafina  gave  up  the  pursuit  of  this 
medical  male  as  a  bad  job,  and  revenged  herself  indirectly 
on  the  sex  by  being  particularly  sharp  with  Eulalia  and 
Dolores,  both  of  whom  were  rarely  permitted  to  be  more 
than  a  few  minutes  with  their  respective  lovers.  These 
last  blamed  Peter  in  no  measured  terms  for  thus  depriving 
them  of  the  society  of  their  future  wives;  but  the  doc- 
tor absolutely  refused  to  sacrifice  himself  any  longer  on  the 
altar  of  friendship.  He  announced  this  in  a  conversation 
which  took  place  in  the  patio  of  Casa  Maraquando  after 
the  ball. 

"  I  would  do  anything  for  you  I  could,"  he  explained, 
plaintively,  to  Jack  and  Philip;  "but  I  really  can  not  go 
on  paying  attention  to  Dona  Serafina.  She  thinks  I  am  in 
earnest!" 

"  And  so  you  ought  to  be,  you  little  monster,"  said  Tim, 
quickly.  "  It's  time  you  were  married." 

"Well,  then,  why  don't  you  set  the  example?" 


THE   TRIUMPH    OF   THE    EEPUBLIC.  395 

"  It's  easy  talking!     I  have  no  one  to  love  me." 

"Journalism  is  a  jealous  mistress/'  observed  Philip, 
laughing.  "Tim  is  devoted  to  '  Articles  from  a  Special 
Correspondent.' ' 

"  True  for  you/'  replied  Tim,  complacently;  "  but  my 
occupation's  gone.  Didn't  I  send  my  last  article  about 
1  The  Fall  of  Acauhtzin'  from  Janialla?  and  isn't  the  war 
over?" 

"  The  war  is  certainly  over/*'  said  Jack,  lighting  a 
cigarette;  "but  the  danger  of  another  war  is  not  yet 
passed." 

"  AVhat  do  you  mean,  Jack?" 

"Don  Hypolito  still  lives;  and  while  he  lives,  the 
Republic  is  not  safe." 

"Still  lives! " echoed  Philip,  in  surprise.  " Why,  Jack, 
I  don't  see  how  you  can  make  that  out.  He  was  not  found 
on  the  field  of  battle,  nor  in  Janjalla,  nor  in  Acauhtzin. 
He  must  be  dead." 

"No;  Don  Hypolito  is  not  the  man  to  die  so  easily. 
Where  he  is  I  do  not  know,  but  I  am  certain  he  is  vet 
alive." 

There  was  silence  for  a  few  minutes,  as  each  was  busy 
with  his  own  thoughts  regarding  the  probable  resurrection 
of  Xuarez.  After  the  battle  of  Centeotl  he  had  vanished 
utterly  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  It  was  thought  he  had 
fled  to  Janjalla,  or  perchance  to  Acauhtzin;  but  in  neither 
of  those  towns  could  he  be  discovered.  After  a  bombard- 
ment of  five  hours,  the  latter  city  had  surrendered  to  the 
war-ships.  Don  Jose,  the  Governor,  in  the  absence  of 
Xuarez,  had  been  killed  by  the  bursting  of  a  bomb,  and 
many  of  his  officers  had  shared  the  same  fate.  Of  Xuarez, 
however,  nothing  could  be  discovered,  and  Don  Miguel 
was  much  disturbed  thereat.  With  a  restless  spirit  like 
the  rebel  leader  still  working  in  secret,  the  idea  of  rebellion 
would  be  kept  alive,  and  they  need  be  sure  to  spare  no  effort 
to  discover  Xuarez  and  bring  him  to  justice.  While  the 
four  friends  were  thinking  over  this  matter,  Don  Eafael, 
who  had  been  holding  a  private  conversation  with  his  father, 
entered  the  patio. 

That  young  man  was  the  hero  of  the  bombardment  of 
Acauhtzin.  He  had  recovered  Dofia  Carmencita;  his  father 
had  consented  to  his  speedy  marriage  with  that  lady, 


396  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

and  he  was  idolized  by  his  fellow-citizens.  With  all  this 
good  fortune  he  should  have  been  gay  and  light-hearted; 
but  as  he  entered  the  patio  he  certainly  looked  anything 
but  happy. 

"Dios!  What  ails  you,  Kafael?"  asked  Jack,  as  his 
friend  threw  himself  into  a  seat  and  sighed  heavily. 
"Anything  wrong?" 

"Carambo!  Everything  is  wrong.  My  father  refuses 
his  consent  to  our  marriages — " 

"What!"  interrupted  Philip  and  Jack,  in  dismay. 

"Till  Xuarez  is  discovered  and  punished,"  finished 
Kafael,  dismally. 

"  Ah! "  said  Philip,  with  a  breath  of  relief.  "  It  might 
have  been  worse.  I  thought  you  were  about  to  say  Don 
Miguel  had  refused  his  consent  altogether." 

"Dios!  I  don't  know  if  it  does  not  amount  to  that," 
replied  Eafael,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "How  are  we 
to  find  this  ladron  of  a  Xuarez  ?  He  is  not  at  Acauhtzin. 
He  is  not  in  the  south.  Where  then  are  we  to  look  for 
him?" 

"  Can  you  not  find  out — " 

"  I  can  find  out  nothing,  mi  amigo.  For  my  part,  I 
believe  he  is  dead." 

"For  my  part,  Senor  Eafael,  I  believe  he  is  alive," 
retorted  Tim,  gruffly. 

"  Eh!  And  where  do  you  think  he  is  to  be  found,  Senor 
Corresponsal  ?  " 

"Quien  sabe,"  said  Tim,  carelessly.  "But  you  know, 
Senor,  that  after  the  battle  of  Centeotl  I  rode  to  Janjalla 
to  wire  my  report  to  England  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  While  there,  I  heard  two  prisoners  talking.  They, 
deeming  me  to  be  a  foreigner,  and  not  knowing  that  I  was 
conversant  with  Spanish,  spoke  freely." 

"Bueno!    And  they  said — " 

"Nothing  about  Don  Hypolito,  but  talked  of  Pepe." 

"Pepe!"  echoed  Philip,  quickly.  "The  zambo  who 
decoyed  Dolores  from  Tlatonac — the  lover  of  Marina?" 

"  The  same.  Pepe,  it  appears,  had  followed  Xuarez  to 
Janjalla,  being,  as  we  know,  the  prince  of  spies.  When 
The  Cortes  was  taken,  and  Xuarez  was  thus  cut  off  from 
getting  back  to  Acauhtzin,  Pepe  happened  to  be  in  Janjalla, 


THE   TBIUMPII   OF   THE   EEPUBLIC.  397 

The  troops  of  Xuarez  were  wondering,  in  the  case  of  defeat, 
how  they  could  escape  from  the  hands  of  our  men.  Pepe 
laughed,  on  hearing  their  doubts,  and  said  he  could  easily 
escape  to  Totatzine." 

"To  Totatzine?" 

"  To  the  sacred  city.  He  said  no  one  could  follow  him 
there,  and  that  he  knew  of  a  secret  way  in  the  south 
which  would  take  him  thither." 

"  But,  Jack,  the  secret  way  you  came  is  to  the  north  of 
Tlatonac." 

"Very  true!  But  for  a  long  time  I  have  had  my  sus- 
picions that  there  is  a  second  way  to  that  city,  by  the 
canon  road  of  which  I  told  you.  It  is  by  that  way,  to  my 
mind,  that  Pepe  intended  to  go." 

"Yes,  mi  amigo!  "  said  Eafael,  triumphantly;  "but}Tou 
quite  forget,  Pepe  was  captured  in  the  south,  after  "the 
battle  of  Centeotl,  and  is  now  in  prison  atxTlatonac,  await- 
ing punishment." 

"Very  true!  He  did  not  escape  to  Totatzine,  as  he 
intended.  But  where  was  he  captured?  At  the  battle  of 
Centeotl.  Now,  seeing  that  Don  Hypolito  has  disappeared, 
it  is  just  possible  that  Pepe  told  him  of  the  second  secret 
way  to  the  sacred  city,  and  that  Xuarez  may  have  escaped 
thence." 

"Dios!"  exclaimed  Eafael,  springing  to  his  feet. 
"Think  you,  Senor  Corresponsal,  that  this  dog  is  now  at 
Totatzine?" 

"  I  am  not  sure,  but  it  might  be  so.  Ixtlilxochitli  is  his 
friend.  There  he  would  be  safe;  and  if  at  the  battle  of 
Centeotl  Pepe  told  him  of  this  southern  way  to  the  city, 
when  he  saw  that  all  was  lost  he  probably  took  advantage 
of  the  information." 

"  Why  not  find  out  if  this  is  so  from  Pepe?  "  suggested 
Jack. 

"He  will  tell  nothing,"  replied  Rafael,  in  disgust. 
"  This  zambo  is  a  mule  for  obstinacy." 

"  We  might  try,  at  all  events,"  said  Philip,  cheerfully. 
"Where  is  Pepe,  mi  amigo?" 

"In  the  prison  of  the  Palacio  Nacional.  If  you  think, 
Senores,  there  is  any  chance  of  getting  information  from 
the  zambo,  let  us  seek  him  now." 

"  Why  to-night?  "  said  Peter,  looking  at  his  watch,  "  or 


398  THE  HARLEQUIN"  OPAL. 

rather  this  morning.  It  is  two  o'clock.  You  are  all  weary 
with  the  ball.  Better  wait  till  to-morrow." 

"No!"  exclaimed  Kafael,  throwing  his  heavy  cloak  over 
his  shoulder.  "We  will  go  now.  My  father  absolutely 
refuses  to  let  any  of  us  marry  until  we  discover  Xuarez.  I 
want  to  know  where  he  is  to  be  found  at  once,  otherwise  I 
shall  get  no  rest.  As  for  you,  Senor — 

"  I  will  come,  by  all  means,"  said  Philip,  putting  on  his 
sombrero.  "  It  is  also  to  my  interest  to  find  Xuarez,  else 
I  may  not  marry  your  sister,  Eafael." 

"  We  will  all  go! "  said  Jack,  rising  to  his  feet.  "  Tim, 
you  may  get  some  copy,  and  make  an  article  of  it — '  The 
Confessions  of  a  Spy/  Peter,  you  can  go  to  bed,  as  this 
matter  does  not  interest  you  in  the  least." 

"Oh,  doesn't  it? "said  Peter,  indignantly.  "I  am  as 
anxious  as  you  are  to  see  you  married,  Jack.  But  with 
your  permission,  I  will  go  to  bed,  because  I  do  not  think 
you'll  get  any  information  out  of  Pepe." 

"  We'll  try,  at  all  events,"  observed  Philip,  emphatically. 
"  I  want  to  marry  Eulalia." 

"  And  I,"  said  Juan,  following  his  friends  to  the  door, 
"  want  to  do  three  things,  none  of  which  I  can  accomplish 
unless  Pepe  tells  us  of  the  secret  way." 

"And  the  three  things,  Jack? "asked  Tim,  curiously. 

"  First,  I  want  to  marry  Dolores.  Second,  I  desire  to 
save  the  life  of  Cocom,  who  is  a  prisoner  atTotatzine;  and, 
third,  I  am  anxious  to  obtain  possession  again  of  the 
Harlequin  Opal." 


CHAPTER  XXXY. 


THE    CANON   KOAD. 

This  is  a  tropical  forest, 

Where  myriad  leaves,  forming  a  roof  overhead,  keep  out  the  efful- 
gence of  sunlight, 

So  that  beneath  is  the  region  of  shadows  and  dimness; 
Yet  iu  this  spectral  twilight  rise  cities,  magnificent,  lonely; 
Built  in  the  far  distant  days  of  giants — great  architects  they! 
Sky-piercing  pyramids,  plinth,  and  column,  and  capital. 
Line  upon  line  of  pillars  that  loom  in  the  darkness  eternal, 
Staircases  huge,  vast  halls,  and  temples  majestical; 
Now  no  longer  receiving  the  throngs  of  worshipers  holy, 
Only  the  b;.t  flies  through  the  ruins;  ravenous  beasts  now  wander 
Throught  street,  and  square,  and  palaces  gorgeous . 
Who  built  all  these  splendors?     We  know  not  who  built  them. 
Yet  do  they  loom  in  the  twilight  region  of  shadows, 
Encircled  by  tropical  forests. 

As  a  rule,  Doctor  Grench  was  an  early  riser,  and  denied 
himself  the  luxurious  idleness  of  morning  slumbers,  but  on 
this  special  occasion  he  did  not  wake  at  his  usual  hour.  The 
dancing  of  the  previous  night  had  proved  too  much  for  the 
virtuous  Peter,  who  always  went  to  bed  early,  consequently 
he  was  very  tired,  and  by  no  means  pleased  at  being  awak- 
ened unexpectedly  by  Jack.  Peter  was  in  the  middle  of  a 
delightful  dream,  in  which  he  was  hunting  unusually  large 
beetles.  After  a  time,  however,  the  beetles  began  to  hunt 
Peter,  and  one,  having  caught  him,  was  shaking  him 
severely.  The  shaking  woke  him  up,  and  the  beetle 
changed  to  Jack,  who  was  trying  to  pull  Peter  out  of  bed. 

"  What's  matter?"  grumbled  Peter,  vaguely,  struggling 
into  a  sitting  position.  '"  I  don't  want  to  get  up." 

"  You  must,"  said  Jack,  serenely,  "  or  we  will  start 
without  you." 

"Start?  what?  where?  when?    Beetle-hunting?" 

"  Peter,  you  are  not  awake!  What  do  you  mean  by  such 
delirious  talk?  Put  on  your  clothes,  and  come  down  to 
breakfast.  We're  all  waiting." 

(399) 


400  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

Jack  vanished,  and  Peter,  wondering  what  was  the  mat- 
ter, got  out  of  bed  with  manifest  reluctance.  A  cold 
bath  drove  the  fumes  of  sleep  from  his  head,  and  dressing 
rapidly,  he  repaired  to  the  dining-room,  where  he  found 
his  friends  and  Eaf ael  making  a  hasty  meal.  Peter  stared, 
and  began  to  ask  questions. 

"  Now  what  is—  " 

"  Oh,  here's  Peter,"  said  Philip,  looking  up  with  a  smile. 
"Come  on,  sluggard,  and  have  something  to  eat.  We  are 
going  to  Cuavaca  by  train." 

"  Train! "  repeated  the  doctor,  taking  his  seat.  "  What 
train?" 

"  Jack's  train,  you  idiot,"  said  Tim,  giving  Peter  a  dig 
in  the  ribs.  "Your  wits  are  wandering! " 

"I  think  yours  must  be,"  retorted  Peter,  addressing  the 
company  collectively.  "  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  early 
rising?" 

"  We  are  going  to  Cuavaca." 

"  Never  heard  of  it." 

"Then  you  hear  of  it  now,"  said  Jack,  crossly;  "how 
stupid  you  are,  Peter.  I  will  explain.  We  saw  Pepe,  the 
zambo,  last  night,  and  on  condition  that  his  life  is  spared, 
he  has  promised  to  guide  us  to  the  city  of  Totatzine  by  this 
second  secret  way." 

"Oh land  Cuavaca?" 

"  Cuavaca  is  a  town  thirty  miles  inland.  The  railway 
line  is  laid  down  to  that  place  and  twenty  miles  beyond. 
We  are  taking  a  thousand  troops  to  Cuavaca  and  intend  to 
leave  them  there  while  Pepe  shows  us  the  canon  road. 
Then  we  will  lead  them  by  that  way  to  Totatzine,  save 
Cocom,  take  Xuarez  prisoner,  and  secure  the  opal." 

"But,"  said  Peter,  argumentatively,  "is  the  end  of  your 
railway  near  this  hidden  city?  or  does  a  trackless  forest  lie 
between  the  terminus  and  the  canon  road?" 

Jack  made  a  diagram  on  the  tablecloth  with  knives  and 
plates. 

"Look,  Peter!  This  is  Tlatonac;  this  Cuavaca.  We 
go  to  the  latter  place  by  rail.  From  Cuavaca  the  railway 
is  constructed  another  twenty  miles  and  stops  in  the  middle 
of  a  vast  forest.  Here,  according  to  Pepe,  is  Totatzine, 
sunken  out  of  sight  in  its  hollow  valley.  Between  the  end 
of  the  railway  and  Totatzine  is  a  distance  of  twenty  miles, 
more  or  less — " 


THE   CAXON    KOAD.  401 

"  Of  tangled  forest  and  brushwood! " 

"  Nothing  of  the  sort.  Don't  I  tell  you  Pepe  has  prom- 
ised to  show  us  the  secret  way — the  other  secret  way?  The 
entrance  is  from  a  ruined  city,  about  a  mile  to  the  right  of 
the  railway  works.  We  find  out  that  city,  take  our  men 
from  Cuavaca  to  it,  and  thence  march  up  the  canon  road 
to  Totatzine." 

"Dios!  Don  Juan!"  exclaimed  Rafael,  who  had  been 
looking  at  Jack's  table-map.  "It  seems  to  me  that  if  the 
railway  goes  on  it  will  pass  by  and  reveal  this  hidden  city." 

"Not  it.  Had  there  been  a  chance  of  its  doing  so, 
we  would  have  had  trouble  with  the  Indians  pulling  up 
the  rails.  No,  mi  amigo.  The  line  is  surveyed  a  long 
distance  farther  on.  If  it  turned  to  the  left,  it  might 
certainly  hit  Totatzine;  but,  as  you  see,  it  trends  to  the 
right,  and  if  used  for  a  century  could  never  reveal  the 
existence  of  the  sacred  city.  Ixtlilxochitli  saw  that,  and 
did  not  mind  the  railway  passing,  so  to  speak,  by  his  door. 
The  city  is  too  well  hidden  by  its  encircling  mountains 
and  by  the  windings  of  the  canon  to  be  discovered  without 
special  exploration." 

"But  it  seems  to  me  awfully  stupid  that  the  priests 
should  take  so  much  trouble  over  the  one  secret  way  and 
never  bother  about  the  other." 

This  observation  of  Philip's  seemed  to  strike  Jack,  and 
he  reflected  a  few  moments  before  he  replied. 

"  What  you  say  is  very  true,  Philip,"  he  replied,  slowly; 
"  the  secret  way  leading  to  the  sea  is  very  complicated,  and 
even  then  the  priests  always  blindfold  pilgrims  on  the 
platform.  This  other  road  'leading  from  the  ruined  city 
must  be  blocked  up  by  rubbish  and  what  not._  There  is  a 
wall  across  the  entrance  to  the  canon,  but  it  is  pierced  by 
a  gate  always  open.  No  one  comes  by  the  narrow  track, 
so  I  expect  the  entrance  to  that  road  has  been  choked  up, 
and  the  way  fallen  into  disuse." 

"Then  how  did  Pepe  find  it  out?" 

"Lord  knows!  But  the  secret  must  be  his  alone,  else 
the  priests  would  have  destroyed  the  canon  path  leading  to 
the  pierced  wall,  and  so  cut  off  communication  entirely 
from  that  side  of  the  town." 

"I  hope  Pepe  is  not  leading  us  into  an  ambush,"  said 
Peter,  anxiously,  as  they  arose  to  go. 
23 


402  THE   HAKLEQUIN   OPAL. 

"  If  he  does,  it  will  cost  him  his  life/'  replied  Philip, 
grimly.  "  Pepe,  my  dear  doctor,  marches  before  us  with 
a  pistol  at  his  head.  The  first  signs  of  treachery,  and  he 
falls  dead.  I  don't  think  he'll  risk  that  catastrophe." 

By  this  time  Peter  had  concluded  his  breakfast,  and 
they  all  set  out  to  the  Puerta  de  la  Culebra,  near  which, 
beyond  the  walls,  was  the  railway  station.  On  the  previous 
night  Pepe,  under  promise  of  his  life  being  spared,  had 
admitted  that  Don  Hypolito  had  fled  northward  overland 
to  Totatzine,  gaining  the  city  by  the  inland  secret  way. 
This  road  Pepe  promised  to  reveal  on  condition  that  the 
President  spared  his  life.  Next  morning,  Rafael  had  told 
his  father  of  the  offer,  and,  as  Don  Miguel  was  anxious  to 
capture  Xuarez,  he  readily  assented  to  the  proposition  of 
the  zambo. 

Of  course  the  six  thousand  Indians  who  had  been  dis- 
banded by  the  influence  of  the  opal  were  not  in  the  sacred 
city.  Their  villages  were  far  to  the  north,  near  Acauhtzin, 
and  as  they  only  came  south  to  the  festivals  of  the  opal  by 
the  secret  way  of  the  sea,  it  was  unlikely  that  the  troops 
led  by  Rafael  and  Jack  would  encounter  any  resistance. 
The  forests  where  the  railway  ended,  and  where,  according 
to  Pepe,  the  canon  road  began,  were  singularly  devoid  of 
population.  This  might  have  been  caused  by  the  jealousy 
of  the  priests,  lest  some  wandering  Indians  should  find  the 
entrance  to  the  canon  road  from  the  ruined  city.  If  so, 
this  jealous  suspicion  caused  their  ruin;  for,  had  the  dis- 
trict been  infested  with  Indians,  they,  seeing  an  unusual 
concourse  of  soldiers  at  Cuavaca,  would  at  once  have 
warned  the  priests  of  the  intended  invasion  of  Totatzine. 
Then  the  canon  road  could  have  been  easily  defended 
against  the  troops  from  Tlatonac  by  a  small  body  of  defend- 
ers, and  the  disaster  averted.  As  it  was,  however,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  sacred  city  were  entirely  ignorant  of 
their  danger  until  the  foe  was  under  their  walls. 

The  railway  line  was  completed  as  far  as  Cuavaca,  a  lit- 
tle inland  village  which  promised  to  shortly  develop  into  a 
city,  owing  to  its  being  the  future  starting-place  whence 
lines  were  to  run  north  and  south  throughout  the  whole 
length  of  Cholacaca.  From  the  capital  to  this  terminus 
extended  a  vast  plain  for  over  thirty  miles,  so  that  there 
was  no  difficulty  in  laying  the  line,  and  it  had  been  speedily 


THE   CA^Otf  ROAD.  403 

completed  under  the  vigorous  superintendence  of  Jack. 
There  were  no  engineering  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  and 
the  railway  ran  easily  in  a  straight  line  over  the  plains  to 
the  foot  of  the  volcano  Xicotencatl,  where  Cuavaca  was 
situated.  From  this  point  began  a  rugged  and  mountain- 
ous country,  which  extended  northward  as  far  as  Acauht- 
zin.  Twenty  miles  of  railway  had  been  constructed  with 
great  difficulty,  as,  owing  to  the  configuration  of  the  coun- 
try, the  line  was  singularly  curving  and  irregular.  Bridges 
had  to  be  built  across  canons,  tunnels  had  to  be  pierced 
through  solLl  rock,  and  embankments,  faced  with  stone 
walls,  constructed  where  the  ground  fell  away  rapidly  to 
moderately  sized  plains.  The  district  was  situated  in  the 
tierra  templada,  about  ten  thousand  feet  above  sea-level; 
but,  the  grade  constantly  ascending  as  the  iron  road  went 
northward,  it  was  calculated  by  Jack  that  the  last  portion 
of  the  way  would  run  some  short  distance  below  the  snow- 
line  of  the  tierra  fria. 

This  expedition  to  capture  Totatzine  was  not  without 
its  dangers.  It  was  the  season  of  festival,  and  the  sacred 
city  would  doubtless  be  filled  with  fanatical  worshipers, 
who  would  fiercely  resist  the  attempted  seizure  of  their 
shrines.  A  thousand  well-armed  infantry  were  sent  to 
Cuavaca  by  Don  Miguel,  and,  leaving  these  quartered  in 
the  village,  Jack,  with  his  three  friends  and  Rafael,  guided 
by  Pepe,  went  forward  to  search  for  the  secret  entrance. 
When  this  was  found,  they  intended  to  return  and  take 
the  troops  by  railway  twenty  miles,  and  thence  lead  them 
by  the  secret  entrance  up  the  canon  road.  When  this  was 
done,  a  reinforcement  of  another  thousand  soldiers  was  to 
arrive  at  Cuavaca  and  wait  instructions  there,  lest  the  first 
should  fail  to  capture  the  city.  The  engines  running  on 
the  line  from  Cuavaca  were  singularly  powerful  machines, 
strongly  built,  so  as  to  ascend  the  gradient  to  the  north- 
ward, and  there  were  plenty  of  trucks  in  which  troops 
could  be  taken  to  the  end  of  the  railway.  Jack  also  had  a 
few  carriages  shifted  from  the  Cuavaca  line  to  that  run- 
ning northward,  so  that  the  whole  body  of  soldiers  now 
stationed  at  the  little  town  could  be  conveyed  to  the 
hoped-for  entrance  of  the  canon  road  in  a  remarkably 
short  space  of  time. 

Bv  -noon  all  the  troops  were  quartered  at  Cuavaca,  and 


404  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

then  Jack  started  by  the  northern  line  for  the  canon  road, 
lie  only  took  an  engine  with  one  carriage,  so  as  to  travel 
as  rapidly  as  possible.  At  first  he  wanted  to  go  forward 
himself  with  Pepe,  but  Philip  would  in  no  way  consent  to 
his  doing  this. 

"  You  can't  trust  that  zambo,  Jack/'  he  said,  decisively. 
"He  might  take  advantage  of  your  being  alone  and  knock 
you  on  the  head." 

' '  Scarcely,  when  I  am  armed  and  he  is  not.  If  only  we 
two  go,  we  can  travel  on  the  engine.  If  you  all  come,  I 
must  fix  on  a  carriage. " 

"Well,  that  won't  make  much  difference,"  retorted 
Philip,  quickly.  "We  are  all  keen  on  the  business  and 
want  to  see  how  matters  turn  out.  Tim,  Peter,  Eafael, 
and  myself  are  all  coming  with  you,  Jack;  so  hitch  on  a 
carriage  to  your  engine  right  away." 

This  was  accordingly  done  without  further  objection  on 
the  part  of  Duval,  and  they  left  Cuavaca  about  one  o'clock, 
traveling  rapidly  so  as  to  reach  the  terminus  with  as  little 
delay  as  possible.  According  to  Pepe  it  would  take  some 
hours  for  them  to  discover  the  ruined  city,  and  they  did 
not  expect  to  return  before  six  o'clock.  Then  it  would 
have  to  be  decided  whether  they  would  take  the  troops  on 
to  the  ruined  city  at  once,  or  wait  till  the  next  day. 

Cuavaca  was  situated  at  the  base  of  the  great  volcano 
Xicotencatl,  which  reared  its  white  peak  high  above  the 
surrounding  mountains.  North  and  south  stretched 
ranges  from  the  central  point,  with  summits  more  or  less 
covered  with  snow,  and  from  Cuavaca  began  dense  forests 
which  clothed  the  slopes  of  these  mighty  hills.  Leaving 
the  village  by  the  side  toward  the  north,  the  engine  with 
its  solitary  carriage  ran  through  a  moderately  long  tunnel 
piercing  a  high  range  of  hills  which  shot  outward  at  right 
angles  from  the  principal  mountains.  From  thence  it 
emerged  on  to  a  deep  valley,  and  skirted  the  side  of  the 
hills  in  a  winding  track  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock.  Jack 
was  on  board  the  engine  with  the  driver,  personally  super- 
intending the  journey,  and  his  three  friends,  with  Eafael, 
were  admiring  the  view  from  the  windows  of  the  carriage. 
Pepe,  guarded  by  two  soldiers,  was  seated  at  the  end  of  the 
carriage,  and  looked  anything  but  cheerful  under  such  sur- 
veillance. 


THE    CANON    KOAIJ.  405 

The  scenery  was  truly  wonderful.  Sliding  along  the 
side  of  the  mountains,  those  in  the  carriage  looking  out 
saw  not  the  line  on  which  they  were  running,  but  looked 
down  eight  or  nine  hundred  feet  into  the  depths  below. 
Sometimes  the  line  was  built  of  solid  masonry  clamped  with 
iron,  and  it  was  anything  but  pleasant  to  think  how  the 
train  was  clinging  like  a  fly  to  the  perpendicular  sides  of 
the  giant  hills.  Below  swirled  rapid  torrents  raging  over 
black  rocks,  or  flowing  in  broad  streams  between  flat  mud- 
banks.  The  engine  would  proceed  along  a  level  for  some 
distance,  then  pant  slowly  up  an  ascending  gradient;  sud- 
denly turning  a  sharp  curve,  she  would  shoot  breathlessly 
down  a  decline  on  to  a  long  narrow  bridge  thrown  across  a 
wide  expanse  of  river-bed  intersected  by  thin  streams  which 
at  time  of  rain  joined  their  forces  into  one  vast  flood. 
Owing  to  the  infinite  windings  of  the  line,  it  was  built  on 
the  narrow-gauge  system,  so  as  to  permit  the  quick  turning 
of  curves,  and  when  the  engine,  leaning  to  one  side,  shot 
round  these  turnings,  the  sensation  was  anything  but 
pleasant. 

"  It's  a  most  wonderful  line,  so  far  as  engineering  goes," 
said  Philip,  drawing  back  from  the  window  with  a  sudden 
qualm  as  the  carriage  rocked  dangerously;  "  but  it  is 
devilishly  unpleasant.  If  we  went  over!  " 

"  There  wouldn't  be  much  of  us  left,"  said  Tim,  grimly. 
"  Begad,  Philip,  I've  been  in  a  mighty  lot  of  railway 
trains,  but  this  line  of  Jack's  beats  Banagher,  and  Banag- 
lier  beats  the  devil." 

"  Santissima! "  said  Rafael,  uneasily.  "  I  trust,  Senores, 
this  devil  of  an  engine  will  not  fall  over  the  cliff." 

"  I'd  never  travel  on  this  line  for  pleasure,"  cried  Peter, 
who  was  seated  on  the  opposite  side  to  the  precipice  for 
safety;  "nor  do  I  think  it  will  be  much  patronized  by 
people  when  opened." 

"  The  sea  for  me,"  remarked  Philip,  thankfully;  "  any- 
thing but  being  boxed  up  in  this  place,  with  a  chance  of 
falling  five  or  six  thousand  feet  without  hope  of  getting 
out  of  the  carriage." 

In  truth  the  journey  was  singularly  unpleasant  in  many 
places.  Jack  had  constructed  his  line  thoroughly  well, 
but  there  was  no  denying  that  the  sudden  turns,  the 
unexpected  descents,  the  narrow  bridges,  and  the  frequent 

28 


400  THE    HARLEQUIN    OPAL. 

tunnels  were  enough  to  shake  the  nerves  of  the  strongest 
man.  On  all  sides  arose  the  snow-clad  peaks,  far  below 
ran  rivers,  spread  forests,  gaped  canons,  and  between 
heaven  and  earth  crawled  the  train,  holding  on  to  the  sides 
of  mountains.  The  colors  and  lights  sweeping  over  the 
scenery  were  exquisite,  the  landscape  below,  above,  was 
grand  and  impressive,  but  the  four  men  in  the  carriage 
felt  somewhat  nervous  at  this  tremendous  journey.  In 
ordinary  cases  they  were  brave  enough,  and  prepared  for 
any  emergency,  but  boxed  up  in  this  carriage  they  felt 
helpless  should  an  accident  occur.  As  to  Jack,  he  was 
used  to  such  traveling,  and  looked  at  his  work  with  great 
pride. 

At  length  the  engine  shot  from  a  deep  and  narrow  cut- 
ting into  the  depths  of  a  broad-spreading  forest  clothing 
a  deep  valley.  Through  its  center  ran  a  torrent,  and  the 
line  skirted  this  to  the  left  through  dense  woodland, 
toward  the  high  peaks  of  a  mountain  in  the  far  distance. 
Midway  in  this  valley  the  engine  slowed  down,  and  ulti- 
mately stopped.  Philip,  looking  out  of  the  window,  saw  a 
wide  clearing,  with  upturned  soil,  fallen  trees,  and  here 
and  there  huts  erected.  It  was  the  terminus  of  the  rail- 
way; and,  thankful  to  have  arrived  in  safety,  they  all 
jumped  out  on  to  the  sward  with  alacrity. 

Beyond  this  clearing  appeared  a  track  cut  through  the 
forest,  trending  in  the  direction  of  the  distant  peaks,  but 
the  line  stopped  at  the  beginning  of  this  avenue.  Scat- 
tered rails,  piles  of  sleepers,  the  abrupt  termination  of  the 
line,  showed  that  it  went  no  farther.  Between  this  point 
and  the  unknown  city  of  Totatzine  intervened  a  distance 
of  twenty  miles.  The  little  party,  with  their  guns  and 
revolvers  all  in  order,  stood  looking  around  them  at  the 
unfinished  line.  Pepe,  guarded  by  the  two  soldiers,  was 
sullen  and  watchful. 

"And  where  is  Totatzine?"  said  Bafael,  staring  round 
this  wilderness  of  trees. 

Pepe  pointed  to  the  northeast,  beyond  the  peaks. 

"It  is  there,  Senor,  in  the  hollow  of  the  hills." 

"And  the  buried  city?" 

"  Bueno!    I  will  show  it  to  you,  Senores." 

"One  moment,  Pepe,"  said  Jack,  staying  the  zambo,  as 
lie  turned  off  to  the  left:  "  h^w  p^n  you  tell  the  way  to  this 
city  from  here?" 


THE   CANOX    BO  AD.  40? 

"  Dios!  Senor  Americano,  I  escaped  from  Totatzine  to 
this  place  four  months  ago.  I  was  sent  by  Don  Hypolito 
before  the  war  to  the  priest  Ixtlilxochitli,  and  he  detained 
me  in  the  city.  I  could  not  find  the  secret  way  to  the  sea, 
and  one  night  went  out  through  the  wall  on  to  the  canon 
road.  It  led  me  many  miles  along  the  side  of  the  cliffs, 
then  down  a  staircase  into  a  forest.  At  length,  Sefiores,  it 
took  me  through  a  tunnel.  I  had  to  climb  over  some  rub- 
bish of  stones  and  earth  up  another  staircase,  and  found 
myself  in  a  large  city  of  ruins.  Leaving  that,  I  pushed 
through  the  forest  to  the  left  and  came  upon  this  clearing, 
where  I  found  the  men  of  the  Senor  Americano  at  work. 
They  took  me  to  Tlatonac,  and  there  I  remained  till  I  went 
to  Acauhtzin  with  Marina,  as  the  Sefior  knows." 

"  Did  you  tell  my  men  of  your  discovery  of  this  way?  " 
asked  Jack,  abruptly. 

"  No,  Senor  Americano.  I  feared  the  vengeance  of  the 
priests." 

(<  Was  the  railway  at  this  point  four  months  ago,  Jack?" 
asked  Philip,  looking  round  at  the  clearing. 

"  Yes.  There  was  a  possibility  of  war,  and  I  was  just 
going  to  England  to  get  you  to  come  here.  The  works 
were  left  in  the  condition  you  now  see  them.  If  this  zambo 
escaped,  as  he  says,  he  could  easily  have  reached  Tlatonac 
from  this  point." 

"  Bueno!"  said  Eafael,  in  a  satisfied  tone;  "  thus  far  his 
story  is  true.  Let  us  go  forward,  amigos." 

Jack  made  a  sign  to  Pepe,  who  at  once  proceeded  to  walk 
toward  the  woods  on  the  right,  guarded  by  the  two  soldiers. 
His  escort  was  well  armed,  so  the  zambo  did  not  try  to 
escape,  knowing  that  before  he  could  run  a  few  yards  he 
would  have  a  bullet  in  his  skull.  The  rest  of  the  party  fol- 
lowed, keeping  their  revolvers  handy  in  case  of  a  possiblb 
surprise  from  Indians.  They  saw  none,  however,  as  the 
forest  was  completely  deserted  by  all  humanity.  Pepo 
pushed  forward  through  the  brushwood,  and  they  followed. 
In  case  they  should  lose  their  way,  they  blazed  the  trees 
with  the  hatchets  with  which  they  had  taken  care  to  pro- 
vide themselves.  Jack  was  resolved  not  to  trust  the  zambo 
too  far. 

For  about  a  mile  they  proceeded  through  a  comparatively 
well-defined  track  in  a  northwestern  direction,  then  sud- 


408  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

deoly  turned  so  as  to  face  the  distant  peaks  some  fifteen 
miles  away.  This  new  path  gradually  broadened  out  into  a 
wide  avenue,  and  at  the  end  of  two  miles,  buildings  and 
ruins  of  walls  began  to  make  their  appearance  in  a  scattered 
fashion.  At  length,  at  the  conclusion  of  another  mile, 
they  entered  a  paved  road,  adorned  on  either  side  by  stat- 
ues of  Aztec  deities  similar  to  those  on  the  platform  facing 
the  sea. 

"I  can  not  believe  that  this  city  is  unknown/'  said  Jack 
to  Philip,  as  they  marched  on  abreast  behind  Pepe  and  his 
guards. 

"Why  not?  No  one  would  suspect  its  existence  from 
the  railway  clearing." 

"  No,  that  is  true.  But  occasionally  there  must  be  some 
tribes  of  Indians  about  here,  and  they  would  be  sure  to  hit 
upon  it.  Between  the  clearing  and  the  beginning  of  this 
broad  road  it  is  but  two  miles,  and  the  tracks  seemed 
pretty  well  defined — clear  enough,  at  all  events,  to  guide 
any  one  hither.  Once  •  in  this  avenue  and  it  is  easy  to 
strike  the  city — as  now." 

They  had  emerged  suddenly  into  a  vast  space,  built  over 
with  mansions,  palaces,  temples,  and  mighty  walls.  A 
pyramid  of  earth,  surmounted  by  a  ruined  teocalli,  was 
placed  in  the  center  of  the  city,  and  the  wide  streets  shot 
off  from  this  omphalos  in  a  similar  way  to  those  of  Totat- 
zine.  In  fact,  on  exploring  the  city  thoroughly,  Jack 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  those  who  had  built  Totatzine 
had  also  constructed  this  place.  The  plan  was  precisely 
the  same,  and,  judging  from  the  massive  buildings,  the 
cavern  facades  of  the  walls,  the  broad  terraces,  and 
enormous  flights  of  steps,  it  must  have  been  a  populous 
place  of  some  importance. 

"Judging  from  what  we  see,  I  think  it  must  be  a  royal 
city/'  said  Philip,  looking  awestruck  at  these  colossal 
works  of  the  dead.  "Here,  perchance,  the  king  had  his 
seat,  and  the  secret  way  was  constructed  from  this  place  to 
the  sacred  city  of  Totatzine,  where  the  god  Huitzilopochtli 
had  his  shrine." 

"At  all  events  I  have  no  doubt  that  this  city  is  well 
known  to  the  Indians  of  the  present  day,"  replied  Jack, 
decisively;  "though  doubtless  the  entrance  to  the  canon 
road,  choked  up  by  rubbish,  has  escaped  their  notice.  Did 


THE   CAffON   ROAD.  409 

they  know  of  its  existence,  Ixtlilxochitli  would  hare  closed 
up  the  narrow  track  leading  round  the  precipice  into  the 
interior  wall/' 

It  was  now  between  four  and  five  o'clock,  so  they  had 
not  much  time  to  lose  if  they  desired  to  find  the  entrance 
before  sunset.  The  engine,  in  charge  of  the  driver,  had 
been  left  in  the  clearing,  Jack  judging  it  would  be  quite 
safe  there,  as  no  Indians  seemed  to  be  in  the  vicinity. 
They  had  brought  provisions  with  them,  and  if  it  was 
necessary,  could  camp  out  in  the  clearing  till  dawn,  when 
they  could  go  back  to  Cuavaca  to  bring  the  troops. 

Pepe  marched  forward  into  the  central  square,  and  then 
led  them  toward  the  extreme  end  of  the  city.  Here  a  sur- 
prise awaited  them,  for  they  found  that  the  town  was  built 
against  a  vast  cliff,  some  eighty  or  ninety  feet  in  height. 
A  lengthy  temple,  reached  by  a  flight  of  steps,  was  cut  out 
of  the  solid  rock,  with  ranges  of  pillars  massive  in  the 
design  and  architecture. 

"Wonderful!"  cried  Philip,  in  amazement,  as  he  sur- 
veyed the  Cyclopean  ruins;  "these  temples  are  like  those 
of  Petra.  What  great  men  must  they  have  been  who  built 
Buch  shrines!  A  great  civilization  once  flourished  here, 
Jack." 

"Without  doubt,"  said  Tim,  who  was  much  impressed 
with  the  grand  remains;  "these  Toltecs,  or  whatever  you 
call  them,  were  greater  than  the  Aztecs.  Cortes,  to  my 
mind,  found  a  vastly  inferior  civilization  than  had  been 
when  these  cities  were  built." 

"  Carajo,  Senor  Corresponsal!"  cried  Rafael,  overhear- 
ing his  remarks;  "we  have  nothing  like  this  inTlatonac." 

"  Nor  are  likely  to  have,"  said  Peter,  dryly;  "  the  Toltecs 
were  greater  builders  than  the  Spaniards." 

Guided  by  Pepe,  they  entered  into  this  rock-hewn  tem- 
ple, and  found  themselves  in  a  vast  hall.  At  the  back  of 
the  shrine,  now  unoccupied  by  any  idol,  appeared  a  ruined 
archway  choked  up  with  rubbish.  The  explorers  had  taken 
the  precaution  of  bringing  torches  with  them,  knowing 
there  was  a  tunnel  to  be  gone  through.  From  this 
entrance,  as  Pepe  informed  them,  it  was  fifteen  miles  to 
the  hidden  city  of  Totatzine.  Lighting  the  torches,  they 
climbed  over  the  rubbish  and  fallen  stones  heaped  in  front 
of  the  archway,  and  began  to  ascend  an  immense  staircase. 


410  THE   HARLEQUIN"   OPAL. 

Jack  and  Philip  went  first  of  all,  followed  by  Pepe  and  his 
guards,  after  whom  came  the  three  remaining  members  of 
the  party. 

Up  this  staircase  they  ascended,  and  at  length  emerging 
into  the  light  of  day,  found  themselves  on  a  vast  plateau, 
thickly  covered  with  forests.  A  well-paved  road,  still 
gently  ascending,  stretched  through  these  woods  into  the 
infinite  distance.  It  was  overgrown  with  brushwood  and 
giant  trees;  still  they  found  no  difficulty  in  getting  along, 
owing  to  the  admirable  way  in  which  the  stone  blocks  had 
been  laid.  This  road  ran  for  five  miles,  and  then  suddenly 
disappeared  down  a  shallow  flight  of  steps,  under  a  low 
archway.  Here  Pepe  stopped,  and  pointed  downward. 

"These  steps,  Sefior  Americano,"  he  said,  addressing 
Jack,  "lead  down  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  then  along  a 
tunnel  for  three-quarters  of  a  mile.  It  brings  you  out  on 
to  the  bed  of  the  torrent  flowing  through  the  canon.  The 
narrow  path  leads  from  its  mouth  for  nine  miles  to  the 
pierced  wall.  When  there,  vou  are  just  below  the  walls  of 
Totatzine." 

Jack  and  his  friends  held  a  consultation  as  to  the  wisdom 
of  proceeding  farther  that  night.  The  darkness  was  com- 
ing on,  and  it  would  be  as  well  to  get  back  to  the  clearing 
before  the  night.  There  they  could  camp  out,  and  return 
to  Cuavaca  for  the  troops  at  dawn. 

"For  my  part/'  said  Philip,  quietly,  "I  do  not  think 
we  need  explore  farther  on  our  own  account.  Pepe  has 
spoken  truly  up  to  the  present,  and  without  doubt  this 
tunnel  leads  to  the  torrent  of  the  canon  and  the  narrow 
path  as  he  describes.  Let  us  return  to  the  clearing,  go 
back  to  Cuavaca,  and  bring  on  the  troops.  They  can 
camp  in  the  ruined  city  to-morrow  night,  and  next  morn- 
ing can  march  for  Totatzine." 

The  rest  of  the  party  agreed  to  this  plan,  and,  leaving 
the  shallow  tunnel  at  the  foot  of  the  protecting  range  of 
the  Totatzine  Mountains,  they  returned  to  the  camp. 
Now  that  he  had  shown  them  the  way,  Pepe  wanted  to  be 
set  free;  but  this  the  whole  party  unanimously  refused 
to  do. 

"No,  no,  my  friend,"  said  Rafael,  making  himself  the 
mouthpiece  of  the  others,  "you  may  warn  the  Indians  we 
are  coming.  Till  Totatzine  be  taken  by  our  troops,  you 
are  a  prisoner." 


THE   OA^ON   ROAD.  411 

Pepe  was  forced  to  abide  by  this  decision,  and  composed 
himself  to  sleep  in  the  clearing,  watched  vigilantly  by  his 
guards,  who,  knowing  that  his  escape  might  bring  the 
savages  on  them,  kept  a  keen  eye  on  his  slumbers. 

"To-morrow,"  said  Jack,  as  they  turned  in,  "we  will 
return  to  Cuavaca  for  the  troops,  and  before  nightfall  they 
will  be  camped  in  the  ruined  city." 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE   DESTINY   OF  THE   OPAL. 

The  spirit  of  fire, 

The  sylph  of  the  air, 

The  gnome  of  the  earth, 

The  dangerous  wave-dwelling  fay — 

All  madly  desire 

The  opal  stnue  rare, 

Which,  at  its  birth, 

They  gifted  with  rainbow  hues  gay. 

Earth-gnome  caressed  it, 

Sylph  did  enfold  it, 

Wave-nymph  doth  chain  it, 

In  spite  of  the  flame  spirit's  desire; 

Two  have  possessed  it, 

Now  doth  one  hold  it, 

Yet  will  he  gain  it — 

The  terrible  spirit  of  fire. 

There  were  many  Indians  in  Cuavaca,  and  had  these 
entertained  any  suspicion  that  there  was  a  second  secret 
way  to  the  sacred  city  by  the  canon  road,  they  would  have 
at  once  warned  Ixtlilxochitli  of  the  impending  danger  to 
the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac.  As  it  was,  however,  they  could 
not  conceive  the  reason  of  the  troops  leaving  Cuavaca  for 
the  interior  of  the  country.  From  their  wanderings  in 
that  district,  they  knew  perfectly  well  that  the  line  stopped 
suddenly  in  the  midst  of  a  dense  forest,  and  there  appeared 
to  be  no  reason  that  soldiers  should  be  sent  thither.  The 
generally  received  opinion  among  them  was  that,  as  the 
Indians  of  the  north  had  been  on  the  war-trail,  these  sol- 
diers were  sent  up  by  the  Government  to  punish  such 
rebellion.  With  this  idea,  the  peons  of  Cuavaca  took  no 
heed  of  the  expedition,  knowing  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  civilized  troops  to  discover  their  brethren  in  the 
vast  forests  among  the  rugged  mountains. 

Thus,  when  next  day  at  noon  the  explorers  returned  to 
lead  the  soldiers  to  the  buried  city,  none  of  the  Indians 

(412) 


THE   DESTINY   OF  THE   OPAL.  413 

suspected  the  truth.  Indeed,  the  troops  themselves  were 
in  absolute  ignorance  as  to  their  destination;  as  Rafael, 
thinking  the  Indians  of  Cuavaca  might  learn  too  much, 
ordered  the  soldiers  to  blindly  obey  his  orders,  and  not 
question  as  to  where  they  were  going.  Thus  he  hoped  to 
camp  a  thousand  men  that  night  within  the  streets  of  the 
ruined  city,  and  surprise  Totatzine  by  dawn,  when  the 
priests  and  the  populace  would  be  engaged  in  worshiping 
the  opal.  The  wall  toward  the  canon  would  be  quite  unde- 
fended, as  never  within  the  memory  of  the  priests  had  any 
one  come  into  this  city  from  that  direction.  Ixtlilxochitii 
thought  that  the  way  was  quite  blocked  up,  and  never  for 
a  moment  deemed  that  his  bitterest  foes  would  capture  the 
city  from  the  canon  road. 

All  that  day  the  trains  went  back  and  forward  between 
Cuavaca  and  the  clearing,  taking  troops  into  the  interior 
of  the  country.  So  soon  as  they  arrived  at  the  railway  ter- 
minus they  were  marched  off  through  the  woods  to  the  buried 
city,  and  there  ordered  to  camp  for  the  night,  or  at  least 
till  such  time  as  their  leaders  chose  to  guide  them  forward. 
By  sunset  a  thousand  well-armed,  well-disciplined  troops 
were  bestowed  in  the  ruined  city  of  the  Toltecs,  within 
fifteen  miles  of  the  opal  shrine,  and  yet  not  a  soul  save  the 
leaders  knew  that  this  was  the  case. 

The  troops  having  been  brought  thus  far,  Eafael,  as 
leader  of  the  expedition,  held  a  council  of  war  as  to  the 
advisability  of  remaining  there  for  the  night,  or  pushing 
on  to  the  narrow  path  of  the  canon  so  as  to  surprise  the 
inhabitants  of  Totatzine  by  dawn.  Jack  and  Tim  were 
strongly  in  favor  of  marching  at  once,  and  as  Philip  after- 
ward came  round  to  this  opinion,  Eafael  almost  made  up 
his  mind  to  move  forward  without  delay. 

"  From  here  to  the  canon  torrent  it  is  mostly  tunnels/' 
urged  Jack,  persuasively;  "  so  whether  Ave  go  by  day  or 
night  it  does  not  matter,  as  we  must  carry  torches.  We 
can  easily  march  along  that  road  on  the  plateau  between 
the  two  tunnels,  and  when  we  enter  the  last  one,  can  arrive 
at  the  bed  of  the  torrent  about  midnight.  Let  us  camp 
there  with  as  many  men  as  possible,  and  then  march  along 
the  narrow  path  at  the  first  glimpse  of  daylight.  Thus  we 
will  be  able  to  assemble  on  the  platform  under  the  pierced 
wall  while  the  populace  and  priests  are  in  the  great  square 


414  THE  HABLEQUIH   OPAL. 

of  the  teocalli.  They  will  be  unprepared,  and  we  can  capt- 
ure the  city  almost  without  a  blow." 

"But  they  will  be  equally  unprepared  during  the  day/' 
said  Eafael,  with  some  hesitation,  "  so  why  not  wait  here 
till  dawn?" 

"  They  will  not  be  unprepared  during  the  day,"  replied 
Jack,  decisively;  "that  pierced  wall  has  people  on  it  occa- 
sionally. Sometimes  they  come  out  on  to  the  platform 
overlooking  the  torrent.  If  these  saw  our  soldiers  coming 
two  abreast  along  the  narrow  path  they  would  give  the 
alarm,  and  the  defenders  of  the  city  could  kill  our  advance- 
guard  and  block  up  the  road.  Now,  if  we  can  get  five  or 
six  hundred  on  to  the  platform  by  sunrise,  they  can  keep 
the  populace  at  bay  until  the  rest  of  our  men  arrive,  then 
the  city  will  be  easily  taken." 

"Only  two  men  can  walk  abreast  on  the  path?"  asked 
Philip,  dubiously. 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact,  three  can  walk  abreast;  but  it  is 
safer  with  two.  The  path  is  cut  out  of  the  side  of  the 
canon,  and  is  very  dangerous.  It  must  be  attempted  by 
daylight.  Nine  miles  of  narrow  path  in  the  dark  would 
end  in  our  losing  our  men.  Besides,  who  knows  but  what 
that  infernal  Ixtlilxochitli,  to  make  things  quite  safe,  may 
not  have  destroyed  portions  of  the  path?" 

"  If  he's  done  that,  there  won't  be  much  chance  of  our 
taking  the  city,"  said  Tim,  in  disgust. 

"True,  Seiior  Corresponsal,"  replied  Eafael,  gravely; 
"all  things  considered,  I  think  it  will  be  best  to  take 
Don  Juan's  advice,  and  march  two  or  three  hundred  men 
to  the  torrent  camping-ground  to-night." 

This  plan  being  adopted,  the  council  broke  up  at  once. 
It  was  decided  that  Jack  and  Eafael  should  push  on  with 
three  hundred  men  guided  by  Pepe.  These  to  camp  at  the 
entrance  of  the  tunnel  where  it  led  to  the  narrow  path  by 
the  torrent.  At  dawn  the  remaining  seven  hundred  men, 
under  the  leadership  of  Philip,  Tim,  and  Captain  Martez, 
should  follow,  and  by  the  time  they  arrived  at  the  torrent 
camping-ground,  the  advance-troop  should  have  reached 
the  platform  under  the  pierced  wall,  which  they  could 
hold  till  the  reinforcements  arrived.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
Jack  and  Eafael  hoped  to  have  the  full  strength  of  their 
men  on  the  platform  and  in  the  city  before  the  inhabitants 


THE   DESTINY   OF  THE   OPAL.  415 

took  the  alarm;  but,  in  any  event,  three  hundred  could 
hold  the  narrow  path  entrance  to  the  platform  while  the 
rear  came  up  steadily.  Having  settled  these  important 
details,  they  all  made  a  hearty  meal,  and,  after  bidding 
their  friends  an  affectionate  farewell,  Jack  and  Rafael, 
with  their  little  band,  pushed  forward. 

The  men  now  knew  that  their  destination  was  Totatzine, 
and  so  many  rumors  were  current  in  Cholacaca  over  the 
amount  of  treasure  concealed  in  this  sacred  city  that  they 
were  madly  desirous  of  getting  to  the  town.  Without 
hesitation  they  followed  Don  Eafael  and  the  Englishman 
up  the  grand  staircase,  from  the  entrance  to  which  all 
rubbish  had  been  cleared  away.  On  arriving  at  the  top, 
they  saw  the  broad  paved  road  stretching  straight  before 
them  in  the  semi-darkness,  and  still  keeping  their  torches 
lighted  to  guide  them  on  their  way,  marched  steadily  along 
the  five  miles  until  they  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  great 
peaks.  Here  was  the  shallow  tunnel,  also  choked  up  by 
rubbish.  This  was  speedily  cleared  away  by  a  hundred 
willing  hands,  and  then  the  leaders,  making  Pepe  go  down 
into  the  darkness  between  his  guards,  followed  with  their 
men.  The  zambo  made  no  attempt  to  escape,  as  now,  see- 
ing the  power  of  the  Junta,  and  knowing  that  his  life  was 
safe,  he  had  quite  gone  over  to  the  side  of  Don  Hypolito's 
enemies. 

The  staircase  led  downward  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth 
for  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  then  suddenly  admitted  them 
into  a  vast  gallery  through  which  the  air  blew  keenly. 
Jack  was  unable  to  restrain  his  admiration  at  the  mechan- 
ical skill  which  the  Toltecs — if  they  had  been  the  engineers 
— displayed  in  thus  piercing  these  vast  tunnels  through  the 
solid  rock.  The  red  glare  of  the  torches  showed  them  that 
the  sides  were  cased  in  brick  painted  with  images  of  the 
gods,  and  the  path  under  their  feet  was  smoothly  paved  with 
stonework  worn  by  the  feet  of  countless  generations.  To 
accomplish  such  marvels,  these  long-dead  nations  must 
have  possessed  wonderful  engineering  capabilities,  and 
employed  thousands  and  thousands  of  slaves.  The  latter 
might  have  been  taken  in  war,  and  forced  to  labor  at  these 
colossal  works,  but  where  the  Toltecs  learned  engineering 
was  more  than  Jack  could  discover. 

The  tunnel  was  only  a  mile  long,  and  in  a  short  space  of 


416  THE  HAHLEQUIN  OPAL. 

time  they  emerged  on  to  a  vast  natural  platform  at  the  very 
bottom  of  the  canon.  To  the  left,  looking  from  the  tunnel, 
the  great  gap  ended  at  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
and  through  the  opening  they  could  see  the  flat  extent  of 
plains  and  the  distant  pinnacles  of  mountains.  On  the 
right  the  canon  turned  suddenly  to  one  side,  and  they 
saw  themselves  shut  in,  so  to  speak,  by  vast  rocky  walls 
towering  up  to  the  height  of  some  thousands  of  feet.  The 
torrent  gushed  and  raged  a  little  distance  below  the  natural 
terrace,  and  on  one  side  of  it  arose  a  narrow  flight  of  steps 
leading  to  the  path  which  ended  at  the  sacred  city  itself. 

So  difficult  had  been  the  way  that  it  was  now  nearly 
midnight,  so  the  wearied  troops  camped  on  the  terrace,  and 
made  a  meal  as  best  they  could.  There  was  but  little 
chance  of  their  presence  being  discovered  by  any  human 
being  in  that  desolate  canon,  but  Rafael,  judging  it  best 
to  be  on  the  safe  side,  forbade  them  to  light  fires.  Fortu- 
nately the  night  was  warm,  every  man  possessed  a  zarape, 
and  they  slept  in  comparative  comfort. 

It  was  a  critical  period,  as  discovery  by  any  wandering 
Indian  meant  death  to  the  whole  band  in  that  narrow 
gulch;  but,  to  Eafael's  relief,  the  dawn  broke  showing  not 
a  human  being  to  be  in  sight.  They  saw  the  narrow  path 
winding  like  a  thread  along  the  rocks  in  the  distance,  and 
it  looked  a  dangerous  way  to  go.  It  was,  however,  the 
only  way  to  the  city,  and  once  they  arrived  under  the 
pierced  wall,  they  could  keep  the  path  open  for  their  rein- 
forcements to  follow. 

Jack  made  the  men  eat  a  hearty  meal  before  starting, 
and  would  like  to  have  made  them  drink  hot  coffee,  but 
that  there  was  a  risk  in  lighting  fires.  At  the  first  faint 
light  of  morning,  which  was  about  six  o'clock,  the  men, 
having  finished  their  meal,  looked  to  their  rifles  and 
ammunition,  flung  their  zarapes  round  their  shoulders, 
and  prepared  to  ascend  the  narrow  staircase. 

Still  keeping  Pepe  before  all  as  guide,  lest  he  should 
send  them  forward  into  some  unknown  danger,  the  two 
young  men  mounted  to  the  path,  and  in  the  space  of  an 
hour  the  whole  company  was  winding  along  two  abreast. 
Below  they  looked  down  thousands  of  feet,  above  the  cliffs 
arose  stern  and  precipitous,  but  the  path,  though  narrow, 
was  well  made  and  safe,  so  two  by  two  they  marched  for- 
ward in  silence. 


THE   DESTINY  OF  THE   OPAL.  417 

"In  a  couple  of  hours  the  rest  of  the  troops  will  have 
reached  the  torrent/'  said  Jack  to  Rafael,  as  they  walked 
along;  "  and  by  the  time  we  gain  the  pierced  wall  they 
will  not  be  far  behind." 

"  Once  we  are  on  the  platform  you  speak  of,  I  do  not 
care,  Juan,"  replied  Rafael,  grimly;  "but  I  hope  by  all 
the  saints  the  Indians  will  not  see  us  before  we  can  get  off 
this  path.  They  could  cut  us  off  with  the  greatest  ease." 

"Never  fear,"  said  Duval,  casting  an  anxious  look  at 
the  sky,  still  cold  and  gray;  "  at  sunrise  they  will  all  be  in 
the  great  square  worshiping  the  opal.  Totatzine,  you 
know,  Rafael,  is  a  sacred  city,  and  it  is  death  for  any 
inhabitant  to  remain  away  from  the  morning  sacrifice. 
That  is  how  the  priests  keep  their  hold  on  the  people." 

"But  the  women?" 

"  They  will  be  present  also." 

"It  must  be  a  large  plaza,"  said  Rafael,  disbelievingly. 

"Very  large.  Much  larger  than  the  Plaza  de  los 
Hombres  Ilustres  at  Tlatonac." 

"Dios!  What  clever  people  those  Toltecs  must  have 
been." 

As  they  proceeded,  the  canon  wound  to  right  and  left, 
shutting  itself  in  at  every  curve  with  its  own  walls,  so  that 
they  never  saw  more  than  a  short  distance  before  them. 
Jack  feared  lest  the  path  should  suddenly  come  to  an  end 
behind  one  of  the  curves;  but  as  Pepe,  who  knew  the  way, 
marched  boldly  on,  this  did  not  seem  possible.  The  gray 
sky  began  to  flash  crimson,  and  the  stars  to  the  eastward 
died  out  in  the  rosy  hues  of  dawn.  They  could  see  the 
torrent  far  below  like  a  white  thread,  and  hear  its  voice, 
hoarse  and  incessant,  rising  upward.  The  serrated  sum- 
mits of  the  canon  rocks  looked  black  against  the  changing 
sky. 

On,  on,  and  on.  The  road  never  seemed  to  come  to  an 
end,  but  stretched  ever  before  them  narrow  and  perilous- 
looking,  a  hanging  way  between  heaven  and  earth. 

"I  hope  to  the  Lord  none  of  the  men  will  grow  dizzy 
and  fall  over,"  said  Jack,  anxiously;  "  the  path  is  so  nar- 
row, the  depth  so  terrible." 

"No  fear  of  that,  mi  amigo,"  replied  Rafael,  cheerfully; 
"they  are  all  too  determined  to  get  gold  and  silver  in 
Totatzine  to  lose  the  chance  of  not  arriving  there.  Believe 

27 


418  THE  HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

me,  Juan,  they  are  as  anxious  as  we  are  to  get  to  the  end 
of  this  infernal  path.  By  the  way,  Martez  and  Senor 
Felipe  must  be  on  it  by  now,  with  their  men." 

Jack  glanced  at  his  watch. 

"Yes;  we  have  been  over  two  hours  now,  marching.  I 
expect  Martez  will  press  onward  as  quickly  as  possible,  so 
as  to  join  us  without  delay.  Hello!" 

"What  is  the  matter?" 

"I  saw  a  glimpse  of  green  just  now.  We  are  nearly  at 
the  end  of  the  journey." 

The  word  passed  along  the  narrow  line  of  men,  and 
they  grasped  their  rifles  tighter,  with  fierce  joy  at  the 
thought  that  they  would  soon  be  in  the  heart  of  the  golden 
city,  so  famous  throughout  Cholacaca.  The  path  began  to 
slope  downward  gently.  It  turned  round  a  corner  sharply, 
and  lo!  before  them  Jack  and  his  friend  saw  the  sacred 
town,  sparkling  like  a  jewel  in  the  hollow  of  the  green 
valley.  A  wall,  glistening  like  silver,  stretched  along  the 
whole  front  of  the  cation,  and  before  this  was  a  broad  stone 
platform  on  which  a  thousand  men  could  assemble  with 
ease.  Below  was  the  torrent,  and  on  this  side  of  the  rocks 
was  a  narrow  path,  ending  abruptly  in  a  precipice.  Jack 
pointed  out  this  latter  to  Eafael. 

"Do  you  see  that,  my  friend?"  he  said,  slowly;  "it 
leads  from  the  secret  entrance  to  the  other  path  below  the 
bridge,  in  the  center  of  the  town.  If  you  took  that  way 
you  would  fall  into  the  torrent  and  be  lost  forever." 

"Dios!"  said  Rafael,  awestruck,  "what  devils  are  these 
priests ! " 

The  platform  and  wall  were  absolutely  deserted.  The 
gates  were  wide  open,  and  through  the  vast  archway  they 
could  see  into  the  streets  of  the  town.  A  rosy  flame,  with 
yellow  shafts,  appeared  behind  the  arid  peaks  of  the  east, 
and  loud  and  shrill  the  invaders  heard  the  sacred 
hymn,  saluting  the  rising  luminary.  For  centuries  that 
song  had  not  been  heard  by  the  white  man — not  since 
Montezuma's  altars  had  ceased  to  smoke  had  civilized 
beings  seen  what  they  now  saw.  A  vast  pyramid  in  the 
center  of  the  city,  crowned  with  a  silver  temple  and  dotted 
at  the  summit  with  tiny  figures  invoking  the  gods.  It  was 
the  last  time  that  song  would  ever  rise;  the  last  time  the 
sun  would  be  saluted  with  bleeding  victims  and  rolling 


THE   DESTINY   OF   THE   OPAL,  419 

incense;  for  the  last  stronghold  of  the  Aztec  deities  was 
discovered.  The  waves  of  advancing  civilization  were 
about  to  roll  over  this  primeval  city  and  blot  it  and  its 
fierce  deities  out  forever. 

Silently,  with  anxious  hearts,  the  little  band,  turning  the 
last  corner  of  the  path,  stepped  downward  on  to  the  plat- 
form.   When  Jack  found  himself  there,  he  breathed  a  sigh 
of  relief.    Even  though  the  Indians  found  them  now,  th 
could  not  stop  them  in  their  onward  course.     His  m 
poured  on  to  the  platform,  fell  into  line  silently,  and  thus 
established  a  defense  at  the  mouth  of  the  narrow  path; 
while  their  comrades  rapidly  came  onward  to  their  assist- 
ance.    The  city  was  as  good  as  won.     But  Xuarez — 

"  We  must  take  care  that  Don  Hjpolito  does  not  escape, 
Senor,"  said  Rafael,  anxiously,  as  the  troops  massed  them- 
selves under  the  pierced  wall. 

"  Leave  that  to  me,  Rafael.  I  have  an  account  to  settle 
Avith  Xuarez.  He  will  not  escape  me." 

"  Shall  we  attack  the  city  at  once?" 

"  I  think  so.  It  will  be  as  well  to  get  inside  the  walls, 
lest  we  should  be  discovered  and  the  gates  closed.  Leave 
fifty  men  on  the  platform,  mi  amigo,  so  as  to  hold  it  open 
for  the  reinforcements,  then  we  can  penetrate  into  the 
town." 

"  Making  for  what  point?" 

"  The  great  square.  We  must  capture  the  bridges,  and 
so  hold  the  people  who  are  now  worshiping  on  one  side  of 
the  city.  They  will  thus  not  be  able  to  get  their  weapons." 

"The  reinforcements  will  arrive  shortly." 

"In  about  an  hour,  I  fancy;  I  told  Martez  to  march  as 
rapidly  as  possible,  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  is  pushing  on 
with  all  speed.  Come,  then,  Rafael!  Let  us  march  into 
the  city,  and  don't  forget  to  seize  Xuarez  and  the  opal! 
Also  we  must  rescue  Cocom," 

"What  about  Ixtlilxochitli?" 

"Oh,  throw  him  into  the  torrent,"  said  Jack,  savagely; 
"he  was  going  to  offer  me  up  to  that  infernal  deity  of  his. 
I  believe  he  is  making  a  sacrifice  now." 

"Perhaps  it's  Xuarez." 

"I  hope  so!  We  will  be  spared  the  trouble  of  shooting 
him." 

By  this  time  the  full  number  of  men  had  arrived  on  the 


420  THE   HARLEQUIN   OPAL. 

terrace,  and  leaving  fifty  men  to  guard  the  path,  Jack,  in 
company  with  Rafael,  pushed  forward  through  the  gate  into 
the  city.  No  sooner  had  they  got  inside  and  Avere  march- 
ing down  the  street  leading  to  the  principal  bridge,  than 
some  women  saw  them.  Thunderstruck  at  their  appear- 
ance, these  paused,  and  then  began  to  yell  loudly.  Rafael 
sent  forward  some  soldiers  to  seize  them,  but  they  disap- 
peared, running  in  the  direction  of  the  great  square. 

"  Carajo!"  muttered  Maraquando,  savagely;  "  they  will 
alarm  the  town.  Forward,  men!  Keep  close  together. 
Senor  Duval,  take  fifty  men  and  hold  the  lower  bridge.  I 
with  one  hundred  will  keep  the  middle  one;  and  you, 
Senor  Riconada,  can  hold  the  bridge  near  the  wall  with  the 
rest  of  our  forces.  Thus  we  will  be  able  to  keep  all  the 
Indians  in  the  square  till  the  arrival  of  our  friends." 

Jack  and  Riconada  hastened  to  obey  these  orders,  and 
blockaded  the  three  bridges.  Scarcely  had  they  established 
themselves  when  the  serpent-skin  drums  on  the  summit  of 
the  teocalli  began  to  roll  out  the  alarm.  Frantic  with  rage 
and  astonishment,  the  worshipers  streamed  toward  the 
three  bridges  so  as  to  repel  the  daring  foes.  No  one  could 
understand  how  these  invaders  had  entered  the  city,  and 
Ixtlilxochitli,  smitten  with  fear,  called  on  the  children  of 
Huitzilopochtli  to  defend  their  god.  The  crowds  pouring 
toward  the  bridges  were  driven  back  by  the  soldiers,  and  as 
they  were  without  weapons,  owing  to  having  gone  to  the 
square  for  sacrificial  purposes,  they  could  do  nothing. 
Ixtlilxochitli  was  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  from  some 
secret  store  produced  shields  and  spears,  bows  and  arrows, 
and  swords  of  obsidian.  The  drums  rolled,  the  trumpets 
shrilled,  and  the  priests  on  the  platform  of  the  teocalli 
frantically  invoked  the  god,  while  those  whom  they  had 
aroused  desperately  attempted  to  force  the  bridges. 

A  feeling  of  superstitious  terror  was  in  the  breasts  of  the 
Indians.  These  terrible  white  men,  whom  no  obstacle 
seemed  to  hinder,  had  entered  Totatzine  as  though  by 
magic.  How  they  had  evaded  the  spies  and  overcome  the 
difficulties  of  the  secret  way,  none  knew,  much  less  how 
they  had  discovered  the  passage.  No  one  thought  of  the 
canon  road,  not  even  Ixtlilxochitli,  who  never  dreamed  of 
danger  from  that  quarter.  All  the  inhabitants  of  Totat- 
zine knew  was  that  their  worst  foes  were  in  the  heart  of 


THE    DESTINY   OF   THE   OPAL.  421 

their  sacred  city,  and  that,  unless  they  drove  them  forth  at 
once,  the  shrine  of  the  opal  would  be  lost  forever. 

Flights  of  arrows  fell  round  the  soldiers  holding  the 
three  bridges,  and  many  were  killed,  as  they  had  no  shields 
with  which  to  protect  themselves.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
round  bucklers  held  up  by  the  savages  were  no  hindrance 
to  the  bullets  of  the  invaders,  and  as  the  soldiers  kept  up  a 
steady  fire  into  the  dense  mass  of  worshipers,  the  ground 
was  soon  cumbered  with  the  dead  and  dying. 

Jack  in  vain  looked  for  Xuarez,  but  could  see  no  sign 
of  him.  On  the  summit  of  the  teocalli  he  saw  a  vast  crowd 
of  priests  crying  on  the  war-god  to  defend  his  shrine,  and 
thought  for  a  moment,  as  the  black  mass  parted,  that  a 
man  was  lying  on  the  stone  of  sacrifice.  But  the  next 
instant  the  throng  closed  together  again,  and  he  was  forced 
to  give  his  attention  to  the  task  of  defending  the  cause- 
way. His  soul  revolted  against  this  butchery,  and  he 
ordered  his  soldiers  to  deal  as  gently  as  possible  with  the 
comparatively  defenseless  enemy.  Nevertheless,  he  knew 
that  the  safety  of  himself  and  his  friends  depended  on 
keeping  the  Indians  blockaded  until  the  reinforcements 
arrived,  and  was  forced  to  massacre  the  crowds  which 
hurled  themselves  with  fanatical  devotion  against  his 
men. 

Owing  to  the  depth  of  the  torrent,  there  was  no  way  of 
crossing  it  save  by  the  bridges,  and  these  being  held  by  the 
invaders,  it  was  impossible  for  the  Indians  to  fight  to  any 
advantage.  Wave  after  wave  rolled  across  the  narrow 
bridges,  and  midway  were  repelled  by  the  incessant  fire  of 
the  Tlatonacians.  The  spears  and  arrows  of  the  Indians 
did  deadly  work,  and  the  centers  of  the  causeways  were 
soon  filled  with  corpses,  white  men  and  red  men  mingled 
promiscuously  together.  Jack  saw  plainly  that  the  three 
bridges  could  be  held  by  them  for  hours,  yet  wished  from 
his  soul  that  Martez  and  Philip  would  come  up  with  the 
reinforcements,  if  only  to  put  a  stop  to  this  wholesale 
massacre. 

Thousands  of  Indians  were  pent  up  in  the  square  of  the 
sacrifice,  all  arrayed  in  festal  robes  of  white  with  chaplets 
of  flowers.  •  These  latter  were  now  torn  off  and  cast  under- 
foot, the  white  garments  were  spotted  with  blood— the 
blood  of  their  friends— and,  frantic  with  rage,  the  multi- 

27 


422  THE   HAKLEQUIK   OPAL. 

tude  did  all  that  valor  could  do  to  break  through  the 
handful  of  men  holding  the  bridges.  The  drums  were 
rolling  their  thunder  incessantly,  the  trumpets  shrieked 
like  human  beings,  priests  bellowed,  the  worshipers  yelled, 
and  constantly  could  be  heard  the  ominous  cracking  of  the 
rifles,  as  every  shot  carried  death  into  the  white  mass 
heaving  tumultuously  in  the  square. 

All  at  once  a  trumpet  beyond  the  walls  rang  out  clear 
and  thin. 

"Hurrah!"  cried  Jack,  waving  his  sword,  "the  rein- 
forcements at  last! " 

It  was  indeed  the  seven  hundred  men,  who  had  arrived 
sooner  than  was  expected.  Martez,  anxious  to  aid  his 
leader  as  speedily  as  possible,  had  marched  his  men  rapidly 
along  the  narrow  path,  and  now  they  were  steadily  stream- 
ing through  the  gate,  making  for  the  several  bridges  where 
the  fight  seemed  hottest.  As  the  priests  were  shouting 
down  encouragements  to  the  people  below,  Eafael  decided 
to  attack  the  teocalli,  and  stop  this  work.  Once  the  shrine 
was  taken,  and  it  was  possible  the  Indians  might  yield 
without  further  trouble,  a  thing  he  heartily  desired,  as, 
like  Jack,  he  was  weary  of  this  massacre. 

Tim  and  Martez  stayed  with  Don  Rafael,  while  Philip 
joined  Jack,  and  Peter,  who  was  quite  war-like  in  appear- 
ance, went  to  the  town  bridge,  where  Eiconada  was  fight- 
ing. At  a  given  signal,  all  three  bodies  of  soldiers  com- 
menced to  converge  toward  a  single  point,  that  being  the 
teocalli.  The  priests  saw  this  maneuver,  and  bellowed 
with  fear.  Many  threw  themselves  down  the  steep  sides 
of  the  pyramid,  in  vain  offering  themselves  to  the  war-god 
in  the  hope  that  he  would  decree  victory  to  their  fellow- 
countrymen.  The  women  in  the  square  were  shrieking 
wildly,  and  hurling  stones,  wrenched  from  the  houses,  at 
the  soldiers  as  they  pushed  the  mass  of  men  steadily  before 
them.  From  the  summit  of  the  pyramid  a  cloud  of 
incense  rolled  heavenward,  and  Ixthlxochitli,  in  the  red 
robe  of  sacrifice,  stepped  forward  to  the  verge  of  the  steps, 
holding  up  the  opal  in  order  to  encourage  his  people. 

A  yell  arose  from  friend  and  foe  alike  as  they  saw  the 
glint  of  the  stone,  and  the  Indians  closed  resolutely  round 
the  base  of  the  teocalli  in  a  vain  attempt  to  prevent  the 
enemy  from  taking  it  by  storm.  All  their  valor  and  self- 


THE    DESTINY   OF   THE   OPAL.  423 

sacrifice  was  in  vain.  The  three  compact  bodies  of  men 
pushed  forward,  shoulder  to  shoulder,  through  the  white 
mass,  leaving  behind  three  several  streaks  of  red  and  yellow, 
the  uniformed  bodies  of  their  fellow-countrymen.  Ixtlil- 
xochitli  saw  these  rivers  of  fierce  soldiery  converge  toward 
the  staircase  of  the  teocalli,  and  yelling  aloud  to  Huitzilo- 
pochtli,  flashed  the  opal  incessantly  in  the  sun. 

"  There  is  Xuarez!  "  panted  Philip,  in  the  ear  of  Jack, 
as  they  cut  their  way  onward. 

"Where?" 

"By  Ixtlilxochitli;  that  chap  in  red.  He  is  bound. 
By  Jove!  Jack,  I  believe  the  old  fiend  meant  to  sacrifice 
him." 

"Pity  he  didn't/'  retorted  Jack,  grimly;  "look  out, 
Philip.  Ah,  there  is  Tim.  Hurrah,  Tim!  See  which  of 
us  will  reach  the  staircase  first." 

Even  in  the  midst  of  danger,  Jack  could  not  help  joking, 
and  Tim  burst  out  laughing  as  he  hurled  his  huge  form  by 
Rafael  though  the  crowd. 

All  at  once  their  mirth  ended.  At  the  foot  of  the  teocalli 
they  stumbled  over  a  nude  corpse  with  a  ragged  wound  in 
the  breast.  It  was  the  body  of  Cocom. 

"He  has  been  sacrificed!"  cried  Jack,  fiercely.  '''For- 
ward, men !  Avenge  his  death ! " 

The  advancing  troops  cheered  loudly,  and  pressed 
steadily  on  toward  the  great  pyramid. 

The  soldiers  in  the  other  part  of  the  city  had  set  fire  to 
the  dwellings,  and  already  the  flames  were  rising  heaven- 
ward. Mad  with  rage,  the  Indians  fought  on  doggedly, 
but  could  do  nothing  against  the  discipline  of  regular 
troops.  Inch  by  inch  they  gave  way  before  the  line  of  steel 
pressed  against  their  breasts.  The  invaders  stepped  over 
corpses  on  their"  Avay  to  the  teocalli,  and  those  lying  on  the 
ground  not  yet  dead,  twining  their  arms  round  the  legs  of 
their  foes,  strove  to  throw  them.  The  noise  was  some- 
thing deafening,  and  the  whole  square  was  one  vast  field 
of  carnage. 

Jack  and  Rafael,  with  their  respective  troops,  reached 
the  foot  of  the  staircase  at  the  same  time,  and  began  to 
climb  up.  The  priests,  frantic  with  terror,  threw  down 
huge  stones,  tore  the  tiles  off  the  shrine  and  hurled  them 
viciously  at  their  foes.  The  drum  was  still  beating,  the 


424  THE   HABLEQUIN   OPAL. 

incense  rolling,  and  high  above  the  din  could  be  heard  the 
strident  voice  of  the  old  high  priest  calling  on  his  gods. 

"Jack!  Kafael!  keep  your  eye  on  Xuarez;  he  is  free," 
shouted  Philip,  as  they  fought  their  way  upward. 

Such,  indeed,  was  the  case.  Don  Hypolito  had  managed 
to  get  his  hands  free,  and  was  now  struggling  with 
Ixtlilxochitli.  Why  he  did  so  none  of  the  Englishmen 
could  make  out,  unless  it  was  to  kill  the  old  man  for  try- 
ing to  sacrifice  him  to  Huitzilopochtli.  The  attendant 
priests  closed  round  the  struggling  figures  to  help  their 
head,  and  thus  omitting  to  defend  the  teocalli,  in  a  few 
moments  the  assailants  were  on  the  top. 

Jack  sprang  up  first  on  to  the  platform,  closely  followed 
by  Tim.  The  crowd  of  priests  rolled  on  either  side,  rolled 
over  the  sides  of  the  pyramid,  falling  into  the  frantic  mass 
below.  Then  they  saw  the  design  of  Xuarez. 

"  Catch  him,  Tim!    He  has  the  opal! " 

Xuarez,  with  torn  clothing  and  pale,  blood-stained  face, 
stood  against  the  shrine  with  the  opal  flashing  in  one  hand 
and  a  spear  in  the  other.  Jack  dashed  forward  to  seize 
him,  and  Xuarez,  with  a  yell  of  rage,  hurled  the  spear. 
In  a  second  Tim  had  thrown  himself  between  the  weapon 
and  Jack,  receiving  it  full  in  his  breast.  He  fell  back 
with  a  cry  into  Philip's  arms,  and  Jack,  mad  with  anger 
at  his  friend's  disaster,  *flung  himself  forward  on  Xuarez. 
The  rebel  leader  dashed  to  one  side  and  threw  himself  ovei- 
the  smooth  side  of  the  pyramid,  sliding  downward  on  his 
back.  Jack,  with  his  revolver  firmly  grasped  in  his  right 
hand,  followed  in  the  same  way;  but  before  he  reached  the 
ground  a  red  mass  shot  rapidly  past  him. 

"Ixtlilxochitli." 

The  rebel  leader,  holding  the  opal  on  high,  dashed 
through  the  crowd  of  Indians,  who  opened  a  path  before 
the  sacred  gem,  followed  closely  by  the  red  figure  of  the 
high  priest.  Jack  saw  the  idea  Xuarez  had  in  his  head. 
He  was  making  for  the  secret  way  under  the  bridge,  hop- 
ing to  escape  to  the  mountains  with  his  booty.  At  once 
he  followed  the  flying  pilgrims,  but  the  crowd  closed 
around  him,  and  he  had  much  to  do  to  protect  himself. 
Martez  saw  his  danger  and  sent  a  body  of  soldiers  to  his 
assistance.  In  a  few  minutes  he  was  safe  on  the  bridge, 
surrounded  by  his  friends.  Xuarez  and  Ixtlilxochitli  had 
disappeared  through  the  secret  entrance, 


THE   DESfTSTY   OF  THE   OPAL.  425 

Determined  to  revenge  the  wound  of  Tim  and  secure 
the  opal,  Jack  would  have  followed,  when  he  heard  a  hun- 
dred voices  on  the  platform  beyond  the  pierced  wall  shout 
out  the  name  of  Xuarez.  Wondering  the  reason  of  this, 
he  darted  up  the  street,  followed  by  a  few  troops,  and  on 
gaining  the  platform,  looked  over  to  where  the  soldiers 
were  pointing. 

On  the  rocky  ledge  below  he  saw  two  men  struggling 
for  the  possession  of  the  opal.  Xuarez,  hotly  pursued  by 
the  old  priest,  had  taken  the  wrong  turning  below  the 
bridge,  and  they  were  now  reeling  on  the  verge  of  destruc- 
tion. Nearer  and  nearer  they  came  to  the  brink,  then 
Xuarez,  evidently  seeing  he  was  lost,  threw  the  Harlequin 
Opal  into  the  torrent.  The  great  gem  described  a  curve 
in  the  air,  flashed  rainbow  hues  in  the  sunlight,  then 
dropped  sheer  into  the  boiling  torrent  below — lost  forever 
to  the  world.  In  another  second,  Ixtlilxochitli  had  forced 
Xuarez  over  the  ledge,  and  the  two  men,  locked  in  one 
another's  arms,  shared  the  fate  of  the  gem. 

Jack  stood  on  the  edge  of  the  platform,  looking  in  silent 
horror  at  the  fate  of  the  rebel  leader,  when  he  heard  his 
name  cried  out  loudly,  and  turned  to  see  Peter  hurrying 
toward  him  Avith  a  face  of  horror. 

"Jack!    Jack!    Tim!" 

"Tim!"  echoed  Jack,  with  a  pang  of  fear;  "is  he 
wounded?" 

"He  is  dead." 

Jack  waited  to  hear  no  more,  but,  followed  by  Peter, 
raced  back  to  the  teocalli.  With  the  fall  of  the  shrine  had 
fallen  the  city,  and  Jack,  crossing  the  square  untouched, 
ran  up  the  staircase  rapidly.  There,  on  the  summit,  sup- 
ported in  Philip's  arms,  with  Philip's  tears  dropping  on 
his  dead  face,  lay  Tim,  merry-hearted  Tim,  whom  they  all 
loved  so  truly. 

"Oh,  Tim!"  cried  Jack,  with  a  burst  of  anguish,  and 
fell  on  his  knees  beside  the  dead  body. 

Below  the  tumult  continued,  the  incense  still  rolled 
upward;  but  the  last  sacrifice  had  taken  place  in  the 
teocalli  of  Totatzine,  and  Tim  was  the  victim. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


FAREWELL,  TLATONAC. 

Let  us  sail  eastward,  where  the  sun 

Slow  rises  o'er  the  crimson  wave; 
Our  western  toils  at  last  are  done, 

And  rest,  forever  rest,  we  crave. 

Oh,  see  the  shore  fades  far  away, 

A  dim  spot  in  the  distant  blue, 
And  eastward  breaks  the  coming  day, 

Which  bids  our  life-day  dawn  anew. 

Old  times  are  at  an  end;  our  lives 
Have  had  their  share  of  sighs  and  tears; 

Now,  loyal  friends,  with  loving  wives, 
We  hopeful  look  to  coming  years. 

A  cheer  arose  from  the  crowd  at  the  sea-gate,  the  war- 
ships dipped  their  flags  in  salutation,  the  guns  thundered 
from  the  forts,  and  The  Bohemian  steamed  slowly  out  of 
Tlatonac  Harbor.  At  her  mainmast  fluttered  the  Union 
Jack,  over  her  stern  drooped  the  opal  flag,  for  the  daughter 
and  niece  of  His  Excellency  Don  Miguel  Maraquando  were 
on  board,  -on  their  way  to  England,  with  their  husbands, 
Sir  Philip  Cassim  and  Jack  Duval.  That  same  day  had 
they  been  married  by  Padre  Ignatius,  and  now  were  depart- 
ing for  the  honeymoon;  therefore  did  the  guns  thunder, 
the  people  cheer,  the  flags  dip. 

Six  weeks  had  elapsed  since  the  fall  of  Totatzine,  since 
the  death  of  poor  Tim,  and  many  events  had  taken  place 
during  that  interval.  When  the  teocalli  was  captured  and 
the  priests  slain,  the  Indians,  deprived  at  one  blow  of  gods 
and  leaders,  yielded  in  despair  to  their  conquerors.  Don 
Hypolito  dead,  Cocom  sacrificed,  the  opal  lost — nothing 
more  could  be  obtained  from  the  town,  so  Kafael  withdrew 
his  troops  by  the  canon  road,  and  returned  to  announce  to 
the  Junta  that  they  need  no  more  fear  the  restless  ambition 
of  Xuarez. 

(426) 


FAREWELL,    TLATONAC.  427 

Poor  Tim's  body  was  taken  back  to  Tlatonac  by  his 
sorrowing  friends.  For  a  long  time  they  could  scarcely 
believe  that  he  was  dead.  Tim,  who  was  so  light-hearted 
and  full  of  spirits;  but  alas!  there  was  no  doubt  that  he  had 
died  almost  instantaneously  on  the  platform  of  the  teocalli. 
The  spear,  thrown  with  vigorous  hate  by  Xuarez,  and 
intended  for  the  breast  of  Jack,  had  dealt  a  fatal  wound, 
and  Tim  had  but  time  to  grasp  Philip's  hand  in  faint  fare- 
well before  he  passed  away.  The  three  survivors  were  wild 
with  grief  at  this  loss,  so  cruel,  so  unexpected,  and  rever- 
entially carried  the  body  of  their  old  school-fellow  to  the 
capital  for  burial.  In  view  of  Tim's  services  during  the 
war,  and  the  regard  entertained  for  him  by  the  Cholacacans 
one  and  all,  the  Junta  decreed  a  public  funeral  to  the 
remains;  so  Tim's  body,  with  much  pomp,  was  consigned 
to  the  vaults  of  the  cathedral,  amid  the  firing  of  cannon, 
the  knelling  of  bells. 

It  was  some  weeks  before  the  three  Englishmen  could 
recover  sufficiently  from  this  cruel  blow  to  attend  to  neces- 
sary matters.  Now  that  the  country  was  at  peace  and 
Don  Hypolito  slain,  the  President  gave  his  hearty  consent 
to  the  marriage  of  Dolores,  Eulalia,  and  Carmencita.  The 
weddings  were  very  quietly  celebrated,  as  neither  Jack  nor 
Philip  felt  inclined  for  revelry  now  that  Tim  was  dead; 
and  indeed  so  many  of  the  Tlatonacians  had  lost  relatives 
in  the  late  war  that  public  festivities  would  have  been  out 
of  place.  Therefore  the  weddings  were  celebrated  by 
Padre  Ignatius  in  a  very  quiet  fashion,  and  afterward  Jack 
and  Philip,  with  their  respective  brides,  departed  for 
England  in  The  Bohemian,  while  Don  Kafael  and  Car- 
mencita went  north  to  Acauhtzin  in  a  war-ship. 

It  was  Philip's  intention  to  establish  himself  and  Eulalia 
in  his  ancestral  home  in  Kent,  and  live  the  useful  life  of  a 
country  gentleman,  varied  by  occasional  voyages  in  The 
Bohemian.  He  could  not  make  up  his  mind  to  part  with 
the  yacht,  nor  did  Eulalia  wish  him  to  do  so,  and  having 
proved  herself  to  be  a  capital  sailor,  she  took  as  much 
interest  in  the  boat  as  did  Sir  Philip  himself.  Eulalia, 
having  been  shut  up  all  her  life  in  Tlatonac,  now  showed 
a  decided  desire  for  rambling,  so  it  seemed  as  though  even 
marriage  would  not  cure  Philip  of  his  gipsy  proclivities. 
Still,  before  such  matters  were  decided  upon,  the  baronet 


428  THE  HARLEQUIN-  OPAL. 

deemed  it  advisable  to  install  his  Spanish  wife  in  the  family 
mansion,  and  introduce  Lady  Cassim  to  the  country 
people. 

As  to  Jack  and  Dolores,  they  were  only  paying  a  flying 
visit  to  the  Old  Country  for  a  few  weeks,  as  Duval  had 
finally  made  up  his  mind  to  settle  in  Tlatonac  and  become 
a  naturalized  citizen  of  that  city.  The  life  suited  him;  he 
was  married  to  a  native  lady  of  the  place,  and,  moreover, 
the  Junta  had  given  him  full  control  of  all  engineering 
work  connected  with  the  country;  so  Jack,  with  the  full 
approval  of  Peter  and  Philip,  thought  he  could  not  do 
better  than  establish  himself  in  this  new  land.  The 
country  was  rich  in  natural  productions,  in  timber,  ores, 
and  precious  stones,  so  when  Jack's  railways  opened  it  up 
throughout  the  whole  length,  there  was  no  doubt  but  that 
Cholacaca  would  become  one  of  the  most  flourishing  repub- 
lics of  the  Americas. 

Owing  to  the  severe  lesson  at  Totatzine,  it  was  antici- 
pated that  the  Indians  would  be  too  cowed  to  give  the 
Government  further  trouble,  and  this  proved  to  be  the 
case.  The  last  stronghold  of  the  old  gods  had  fallen,  and 
the  sacred  city,  which  had  been  the  center  of  incessant 
conspiracy  against  the  Republic,  was  quite  broken  up. 
With  the  vanishing  of  the  opal  it  lost  its  character  of  a 
sacred  town,  and  now,  being  thrown  open  to  the  world  by 
the  discovery  of  the  secret  paths,  no  longer  possessed  any 
mysterious  charm  for  the  Indians.  With  no  center,  with 
no  crafty  priesthood,  the  power  of  the  tribes,  instead  of 
being  concentrated,  became  scattered,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  in  the  near  future,  when  the  country  is  a  net- 
work of  railways,  that  the  savage  tribes  will  vanish  before 
the  advancing  flood  of  civilization. 

Peter  did  not  come  in  The  Bohemian,  as  he  had  accepted 
the  invitation  of  a  celebrated  naturalist  to  visit  him  up 
Mexico  way,  and  hunt  beetles  and  butterflies  in  company. 
Faithless  Peter,  he  refused  to  marry  Dona  Serafina,  and 
fled  the  smiles  of  his  elderly  charmer  for  the,  to  him, 
dearer  delights  of  entomology.  Baffled  in  one  quarter, 
Dona  Serafina  was  successful  in  another,  for  she  turned 
her  attention  to  Don  Alfonso  Cebrian,  and  succeeded, 
after  some  difficulty,  in  marrying  the  Intendante  of  Xicot- 
encatl,  who  had  for  some  years  been  a  widower.  Serafma 


FAREWELL,    TLATONAC.  429 

found  on  marriage  that  she  possessed  a  step-daughter  with 
whom  she  could  not  agree;  but  speedily  settled  ner  future 
by  marrying  her  off  to  Captain  Velez,  who  thus  became 
the  Intendante's  son-in-law  after  all. 

After  leaving  Tlatonac,  the  four  people  on  board  The 
Bohemian  were  talking  of  these  things  on  deck  in  the 
warm  sunshine.  It  was  the  afternoon  of  a  perfect  day, 
and  the  yacht  steamed  merrily  along  toward  the  distant 
ocean.  To  the  surprise  of  Philip  and  Jack,  the  ladies 
proved  to  be  excellent  sailors,  and  were  quite  fascinated 
with  the  yacht,  much  to  the  gratification  of  old  Benker, 
who,  for  the  first  time  in  his  crusty  old  life,  approved  of 
the  existence  of  the  female  sex. 

When  they  were  tired  roaming  about  and  making 
inquiries  about  this,  that,  and  the  other  thing,  they  settled 
down  in  comfortable  deck-chairs  to  talk  about  the  future 
with  their  respective  husbands.  Dolores  and  Jack  were 
returning  to  Tlatonac  shortly,  so  had  but  the  same  life  to 
look  forward  to;  but  Eulalia  was  secretly  dismayed  at  the 
prospect  of  being  an  English  lady. 

"  Querido!  "  she  said  to  Philip,  looking  at  him  over  the 
top  of  her  big  black  fan,  "  I  can  not  talk  your  tongue.  And 
your  English  ladies!  I  hear  they  are  so  cold.  And  your 
climate!  Oh,  Felipe,  I  fear  your  climate." 

"Who  told  you  all  these  nice  things,  Eulalia?"  asked 
Philip,  smiling. 

"Don  Pedro." 

"  My  dear  girl,  you  must  not  believe  what  Peter  says. 
He  doesn't  know  a  thing  except  what  relates  to  beetles. 
You  are  learning  to  talk  English  very  quickly,  and  as  to 
the  English  ladies,  they  will  all  fall  in  love  with  you." 

"  And  the  climate  of  England,"  added  Jack,  wickedly, 
"  is  the  best  in  the  world." 

"No!"  replied  Philip,  laughing,  "I  can  not  conscien- 
tiously say  that.  But  neither  Eulalia  nor  myself  will  stay 
much  in  England.  We  will  travel." 

Eulalia  clapped  her  hands  with  glee  on  hearing  this 
delightful  proposal,  and  Dolores  settled  the  future  course 
of  such  traveling. 

"  Wherever  you  may  go,  Senor  Felipe,"  she  said,  smiling, 
"  forget  not  that  Juan  and  myself  dwell  in  Tlatonac,  and 
shall  expect  you  both  once  a  year. " 


430  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"  More  or  less!"  cried  Jack,  lazily.  "Come  in  a  year, 
Philip,  and  you  will  see  how  Cholacaca  is  going  ahead.  I 
will  have  that  railway  to  Acauhtzin  ready  before  you  know 
where  you  are.  All  those  little  forest  towns  will  soon 
be  in  communication  with  the  outside  world — " 

"  AndTotatzine?" 

"  Ah,  Totatzine  has  lost  its  mysterious  charm  of  the 
unknown.  I'll  turn  it  into  a  resort  for  invalids,  or  a  Cen- 
tral American  Monte  Carlo.  Where  Huitzilopochtli  was 
worshiped,  future  generations  will  adore  the  goddess  of 
play." ' 

"At  that  rate  you  will  still  have  victims  offered  at  the 
shrine,"  said  Philip,  grimly.  "  But,  after  all,  Jack,  it  was 
a  pity  we  lost  the  opal." 

"  Can  it  not  be  found  again?"  asked  Dolores,  who  deeply 
regretted  the  vanished  jewel. 

Jack  shook  his  head. 

"  I  am  afraid  not.  Xuarez  threw  it  into  the  torrent. 
Heaven  only  knows  in  what  profound  depths  it  now  lies. 
Perhaps  it  is  best  so.  While  it  was  on  earth  it  caused 
nothing  but  trouble  from  the  time  it  was  in  the  possession 
of  Montezuma  to  the  death  of  Xuarez." 

"Now  it  is  lost,  I  suppose  the  superstition  will  die  out." 

"Superstion  dies  hard.  Al!  kinds  of  legends  will  grow 
up  about  that  famous  gem.  It  will  still  be  remembered 
for  many  years,  the  more  especially  as  Tlatonac  is  still, 
and  ever  will  be,  the  City  of  the  Opal." 

"And  Dolores  is  still  the  guardian  of  the  opal,"  said 
Eulalia,  pensively. 

"A  guardian  of  a  stone  that  has  now  no  existence," 
replied  Dolores,  laughing;  "  but,  after  all,  I  had  rather  the 
jewel  was  lost  than  my  Juan." 

"  Ah,  Dolores! "  said  Jack,  with  a  sad  smile,  "had  it  not 
been  for  the  Sefior  Corresponsal,  your  Juan  would  have 
been  lost." 

"  Poor  Tim,"  muttered  Philip,  softly,  turning  away  to 
conceal  his  emotion. 

The  tears  sprang  to  Dolores'  eyes,  and  Eulalia  was 
scarcely  less  affected.  It  seemed  too  terrible  that  they 
should  all  be  so  happy  when  poor  Tim,  whom  they  loved 
so  much,  should  be  lying  in  the  grave.  The  bitterest  part 
of  it  was  that  the  death  had  taken  place  just  when  the  war 


FAREWELL,    TLATONAC.  431 

was  over.  Tim  had  escaped  the  siege  of  Janjalla,  the  bat- 
tle of  Centeotl,  only  to  fall  in  a  skirmish  at  the  obscure 
town  of  Totatzine.  It  was  fate! 

They  remained  silent  for  a  few  minutes,  thinking  of  the 
dead  man,  and  then  Philip  aroused  himself  with  an  effort. 

"Come!"  he  said,  with  a  smile.  "  We  must  not  be 
melancholy  on  our  wedding-day.  Poor  Tim  himself  would 
have  been  the  last  to  countenance  such  folly.  We  will  talk 
of  other  things.  Of  Eafael,  for  instance." 

"There  is  not  much  to  talk  about  Eafael,"  said  his 
sister,  lightly;  "he  is  married  to  Dona  Carmencita.  He 
is  now  Governor  of  Acauhtzin,  and  when  Cholacaca  has  a 
fleet,  he  will  be  its  admiralle.  I  think  Rafael  is  very  fort- 
unate, Felipe." 

"  Not  so  fortunate  as  I  am,"  replied  the  baronet,  looking 
at  her  fondly. 

"  Or  as  I!"  cried  Jack,  slipping  his  arm  round  Dolores' 
waist.  "  Ah,  Philip,  how  many  things  have  taken  place 
since  we  sailed  over  these  waters!  Did  I  not  tell  you  you 
would  bring  home  a  bride?" 

"  You  did,  and  I  half  believed  you.  For  once  you  have 
prophesied  correctly.  I  am  grateful  to  you,  Jack,  for  hav- 
ing led  me  to  secure  this  prize.  When  you  came  back  to 
England,  I  was  settling  down  into  a  crusty  old  bachelor; 
but  now  you  will  find  me  a  devoted  husband — all  through 
your  coming  to  England." 

"Say,  rather,  all  through  the  agreement  we  made  at 
Bedford  school  so  many  years  ago.  That  boyish  freak 
has  brought  us  good  fortune  and  charming  wives." 

"  Yet  Peter  is  still  a  bachelor." 

"Oh,  Peter  will  marry  a  beetle!  I  expect  we  will  see 
him  in  England  shortly.  For  myself,  I  do  not  complain 
of  Fate;  nor  does  Dolores." 

Jack  bent  down  tenderly  and  kissed  Dolores,  which 
example  seemed  so  good  to  Philip  that  he  at  once  followed 
suit. 

The  sun  was  setting  in  the  west,  and  the  sky  was  one 
blaze  of  colors.  Pale  rose,  tawny  yellow,  and  high  above 
the  delicate  blue  of  the  departing  day.  The  sky,  the 
sea  were  glittering  with  rainbow  hues  of  unexampled 
brilliancy.  The  yacht,  leaving  all  this  splendor  behind, 
steamed  steadily  onward  toward  the  coming  night. 


432  THE  HARLEQUIN  OPAL. 

"It  is  like  the  Chalchuih  Tlatonac,"  said  Dolores, 
pointing  to  the  sunset. 

"  And  we  are  leaving  it  behind,"  replied  Jack,  taking 
her  hand;  "  but  I  do  not  regret  it,  querida.  If  Fate  has 
denied  me  the  Harlequin  Opal,  she  has  given  me  a  dearer 
and  more  precious  gift — yourself/' 


THE    END. 


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